


it's zuko time

by orphan_account



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, M/M, Post-Avatar: The Last Airbender, i lowkey ship zuko with everyone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:22:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24518368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: you're reluctantly preparing to continue your family's political legacy. ty lee is your best friend. zuko is the fire lord. somehow ty lee gets you to meet zuko and then? chaos i guess??aka my friend kept saying zuko was hot and I didn't get it but now somehow I'm here
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Implied Sokka/Suki/Zuko, Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar)/Original Female Character(s), Zuko/Original Female Character
Comments: 7
Kudos: 44





	1. I'm a Fool But It's Kind of Ty Lee's Fault

“I can’t believe you’re leaving again so soon.”

I had only gotten to spend two days with my best friend. Which was more than I usually got, but still, it was sad. I missed spending time with her. Ever since we were thirteen, I felt like I only got to see her a few days every year.

“I knowww,” she responded. “Life is just so busy these days.”

“No, I get it. I’m glad you at least had some time to stop by while you were in town.”

“Thanks for having me! I had such a great time.”

We both paused for a moment. Despite our words feeling like formalities, they were the truth. Since Ty Lee ran away to join the circus when we were thirteen, we had barely gotten to see each other. So much had happened since then—Ty Lee joining the insane ex-crown princess on a wild hunt during the last year of the war, the war ending, Ty Lee joining the Kyoshi Warriors. Or, more like, so much had happened to Ty Lee. And yet, whenever we hung out, something just seemed to click. Many of my best memories, I made with Ty Lee. I hated saying goodbye.

“Wait!” Ty Lee exclaimed, breaking my zoned-out train of thought.

“Yeah?”

“You should come visit the Royal Palace with me!”

I looked at her in confusion. We had half an hour, tops, until the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors and Ty Lee had to go. They had a train to catch. Ty Lee’s small bag of stuff was completely packed—she was ready to walk out the door any minute.

“Right now?” I asked.

“Yeah!” Ty Lee enthused.

“I mean, that’d be really cool, but I’m not ready to travel at all. You guys are leaving, like, now—I don’t—I don’t have anything packed. And my parents…”

“No, this is perfect!” Ty Lee insisted. “You keep saying you want to travel—really do something this summer. You’re an adult; you’re 19! You can do whatever you want. This is a perfect start to the summer! And”—Ty Lee waggled her eyebrows mischievously—“Fire Lord Zuko~!”

“Oh my gosh, stop. It was barely a crush,” I muttered.

Ty Lee giggled. “Whatever you say!”

But Ty Lee was getting to me. And not just because of my admittedly pretty big past crush on the Fire Lord, which I was definitely over by now! The more Ty Lee talked, the more I wanted to just say, _fuck it, I’m going on vacation with Ty Lee to the Royal Palace_. It reminded me of old times with her, both of us getting into things way over our heads with little to no plan. Because if I went with her now, we would _definitely_ be flying without a plan.

I wanted to go, but what would I even do at the Royal Palace? Would I be allowed in? I mean, I’d be Ty Lee’s guest, but I’d kind of just be showing up unannounced to the most guarded home in the Fire Nation. Where would I stay? And my parents wanted me to be home to show face at events with the family. Somehow, now that I was in university, it felt like had even less say over what events I had to attend. It was always about how, “showing face is good for your political career.” Ugh, that reminded me of the big, important dinner we had tomorrow with visiting dignitaries. They would probably disown me if I missed that.

“You could meet all the Kyoshi Warriors… And the palace is so pretty…” Ty Lee continued on.

I really wanted to. I had no idea how it would work out. I knew it was a bad idea. But the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that I was going to let Ty Lee convince me.

“I don’t even have a train ticket, though,” was my last feeble resistance. It wasn’t even an argument. The town station was a small one, and I was pretty sure you could just buy tickets there.

“Oh, that’s no problem,” Ty Lee said. She knew I was about to crack. “We can buy them at the station. I know you can afford a train ticket; you worked all last year.”

I was silent, and Ty Lee knew she had me convinced.

“Come on, let’s get packing!” Ty Lee said.

I smiled ruefully as we both got to our feet. I had a feeling we both knew I was going to cave in eventually. I had always been a little bit impulsive.

The next half hour was a whirlwind of me and Ty Lee trying to pack up as much as we possibly could as fast as we possibly could. At the same time, my mind was racing. What if they wouldn’t let me in to the palace? I tried to quash that fear down. It would be okay; I was from a noble family. My parents didn’t send me to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls for nothing. But this was the home of the Fire Lord. The Royal Family. Even my parents had never been there. I would need to pack my absolute best clothes.

That was how Ty Lee and I ended up rapid-fire smooshing some of the most excruciatingly expensive dresses and accessories I owned haphazardly into a too-small travel bag.

Once everything was in, I winced as Ty Lee flopped down on top of the bag to crush things down enough to get it closed. My mom would never forgive me for how I treated those dresses. My parents were going to kill me.

Ty Lee and I had just managed to get my bag closed when a parade of angry footsteps came marching up to my door.

“Ty Lee!!” an exasperated female voice yelled.

“Oh no,” Ty Lee whispered, her eyes widening. “We’re gonna be late.”

Ty Lee meekly opened the door to three angry Kyoshi Warriors.

“We need to go right now,” the leader said, dangerously calm.

“O-okay,” Ty Lee squeaked. “Um, this is my friend Mina. She’s coming with us.” Ty Lee meekly grabbed my hand, pulling me next to her in the doorway. I gave probably the most awkward and fearful wave I have ever mustered.

The lead Kyoshi Warrior glanced at me, unimpressed. She looked like she was going to address me, but then returned her attention to Ty Lee. I tried not to audibly sigh in relief.

“Your friend better not make us miss this train. Which is exactly what we’re on track to do.”

“Sorry,” Ty Lee squeaked, but the other warriors were already turning to leave.

“Come on!” the leader shouted back.

I had heard about Kyoshi Warriors before, about their grace and agility. I never expected to find myself trying to keep up with a band of incredibly pissed-off ones moving through a crowded city at top speed. I was huffing and puffing by the time we reached the train station, where I bought my ticket in panic as the train was pulling into the station. It wasn’t until Ty Lee yanked me through the train door just as it was about to take off that I had a chance to catch my breath.

“Oh no,” I breathed, suddenly remembering.

“What?” Ty Lee asked.

“I forgot to leave my parents a note saying I was leaving.”

My parents were going to kill me.

The rest of the Kyoshi Warriors refused to speak to me for the first hour of the train ride. Which was okay, honestly, because I spent most of that time freaking out. My parents were actually going to kill me.

Ty Lee was pretty quiet too. The rest of the warriors were clearly annoyed that she had brought me along and almost made us late.

“They’ll cool down eventually,” Ty Lee whispered to me a few minutes into the train ride. That was pretty much the only time either of us spoke. Instead, Ty Lee watched me go through multiple stages of panic about my impending doom.

When I first made the decision to leave, my excitement got in the way of my judgement. Impulsively going on a trip with Ty Lee sounded like the best way to start my summer, and I went for it. This always happened. I got excited, made a stupid decision, and got in a fight with my parents.

My parents were strict. They had their political careers to think about. And they wanted me to be thinking about mine. I was supposed to be following in my dad’s footsteps, making the family proud. I suppose I was lucky. My parents—my mom especially—wanted me to go to university to get an education to become a politician in my own right, rather than marrying higher up in the noble hierarchy. But I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life chasing status just to have it. I just wanted to be happy. Which was why I snuck out so much. Which was why we fought so much. But I had never gone this far. Missing an important dinner without even telling them where I had gone? I was so dead. And we had just had a bad fight last week. If I had told them, I would probably be okay. They wouldn’t be happy, but if I told them I was _summoned to the Royal Palace_ (which I wasn’t technically but shhh), they would have to be okay with it. But they didn’t even know where I was. I was so dead.

Eventually, I managed to calm myself down some. Technically, like Ty Lee said, I was an adult. I was technically, “in charge of my own destiny,” or whatever, and my parents couldn’t stop me. I was doing what I wanted—doing something that made me happy. So what if they disowned me?

It wasn’t much of a consolation.

Almost an hour in, Ty Lee pulled me aside.

“Mina, you’re clearly not calming down. I’ve never seen you like this. What’s wrong?”

“I didn’t even tell my parents where I was going. And I was supposed to attend an important dinner tomorrow. My parents are going to kill me,” I whispered desperately.

Ty Lee looked at me sternly. “Look, you’re not thinking straight. I ran away from home when I was thirteen. I didn’t see my family again for years. This is just going to be a few days, maybe a week. You’ll be fine.”

“But I didn’t even tell them where…”

“Is that the main problem?”

“Yeah,” I whimpered.

“Hey, calm down. You’re not thinking straight! We’re going to be at the Royal Palace! They have carrier falcons. We can send one when we get there. And if anything, won’t visiting the palace be ‘good for your political career?’” She put air quotes around the last point. Ty Lee knew how hesitant I was about my future in politics.

Slowly, my eyes widened in shock.

“I’m such an idiot!” I exclaimed. Of course they would have carrier falcons. I was so panicked that my brain had just shut off. Ty Lee was a genius. And we were both thinking the same thing about the Royal Palace—my parents would see it as an opportunity to prepare for my future in politics, learning about it from the very top. Which wasn’t my plan, of course. I wanted to explore the palace. Explore the city. Meet new people. Find some beautiful architecture and scenery to sketch. But now I had the perfect excuse for the visit.

“You’re not an idiot, you’re just silly,” Ty Lee laughed.

When we returned to our seats, the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors greeted us with a much warmer attitude.

“Sorry I was so upset earlier,” the lead warrior apologized. She turned to me. “I’m Suki. And you are?”

“Mina,” I replied.

“We grew up together!” Ty Lee added, visibly relieved that her companions weren’t angry anymore.

“So, what convinced you to come to the Royal Palace?” Suki asked. “It seemed like a pretty rushed decision.”

“Ah, yeah, sorry about that,” I said awkwardly. I looked at Ty Lee for help, but she just grinned at me. “It seemed like the right thing to do at the time?” I finished, wishing I had a better answer.

Suki laughed. “That’s some conviction.”

“It’s gonna be so much fun though!” Ty Lee piped up. “I have a day off tomorrow anyway. I can show you around! Maybe we’ll even run into the Fire Lord~.”

The implications were clear in Ty Lee’s tone of voice. I could feel my face heating up. Suki and the others didn’t need to know that! I just met them… But Ty Lee was already telling Suki about my crush, whispering conspiratorially to her.

Suki just laughed more. “Why does everyone seem to have a thing for Zuko?”

My eyebrows raised involuntarily. Suki had just casually called Fire Lord Zuko by his first name. No title. Were they that close?

“Hey, didn’t you and Sokka have a thing with Zuko too?” Ty Lee accused Suki.

Now it was Suki’s turn to look sheepish. My jaw dropped. She had a “thing” with Fire Lord Zuko? What did that mean? And who was Sokka? Wasn’t that a guy’s name? Was Fire Lord Zuko bi too? Except it literally did not matter at all because I was probably never even going to see him, let alone meet him. But if him and Suki were so close… no, stop. What was I even thinking?

“Maybe,” Suki mumbled. But she didn’t look embarrassed. More just sheepish that Ty Lee had called her bluff.

“How is Sokka anyway? I haven’t seen him in forever,” Ty Lee asked, and just like that they dropped the subject of Fire Lord Zuko.

My mind, however, had not dropped the subject. Their words and their implications were still reeling through my head. What had Suki and this other guy done with the Fire Lord? A hook-up? Dating? Or was it just a crush?

Clearly, I wasn’t as over my crush on Fire Lord Zuko as much as I thought I was.

I knew it was silly of me to even think about it. But this trip suddenly felt a lot more interesting.

  


* * *

  


I didn’t find out until we were almost to Capital City that the Kyoshi Warriors were the Fire Lord’s personal bodyguards. And since Suki was the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, _Fire Lord Zuko himself_ would be meeting us when we arrived at the palace. Seven hours into the train ride—that was when they told me.

Currently, we were stopped in the Capital City train station lady’s room, changing out outfits and putting on our makeup. The Kyoshi Warriors had all traveled without their makeup, in plain clothes. They needed to put their uniforms on, including their signature makeup, before Fire Lord Zuko ceremoniously welcomed them back to the palace. And I was there putting on my most flattering dress and doing my makeup in a train station washroom because oh my gosh I was about to meet Fire Lord Zuko.

“Excited?” Suki asked, still looking intently into the mirror as she put the finishing touches on her makeup.

“Nervous,” I replied honestly.

As much as the other girls had teased me about my crush on Fire Lord Zuko, that wasn’t even what my nerves were about. Well, that’s not totally true. It was adding to them a bit. But mostly, I was nervous to be in the Royal Palace for the first time, meeting the most important figure in the Fire Nation. As much as I hated to admit it, my parent’s constant insistence on the importance of politics and image was making me freak out just a bit at the gravity of this event.

“Don’t worry about it,” Suki assured me. “We’ll be right there with you.”

It was touching. I had just met Suki less than eight hours ago, and almost made her late. And yet she was reassuring me.

Just then, Ty Lee stepped out of a bathroom stall, finished changing into her uniform. I turned to smile nervously at my best friend. It was hard to believe how much more intimidating she looked in her uniform, complete with armor and the Kyoshi Warrior makeup.

“Oh my gosh, Mina,” Ty Lee said, looking me up and down. “You look beautiful.”

My mind stuttered a bit. I was never good at taking unexpected compliments.

“Thanks,” I said softly.

Suki turned to look. “Damn, you really do clean up well.”

“Hey!” Ty Lee said in unison.

Suki just laughed. “I’m just teasing. Seriously though, you look great.”

“Thanks,” I repeated.

By now, all four of the Kyoshi Warriors were ready to go. Their uniforms really changed their vibe, even though I knew they were just as dangerous in plain clothes. They looked strong. Intimidating. It was kind of reassuring, knowing I’d be walking into the Royal Palace surrounded by four highly capable bodyguards. Even if they weren’t my bodyguards.

“Ready?” Ty Lee asked me.

“Ready.”

It was a short walk from the station to the Royal Palace. The palace was an impressive and intimidating collection of buildings. Tiered red and gold towers rising out of the earth at the very center of Capital City. A series of golden steps leading up to the front gate. In the background, the craggy edge of the volcano Capital City was built inside.

At the front gate, armored guards easily let us in.

“Fire Lord Zuko is waiting for you in the banquet room, if you’ll follow me there,” one of the guards said.  
This was too much. Was I seriously about to have a meal with the Fire Lord? Did he even know I was coming? There was no way the Kyoshi Warriors could have sent word before we arrived. We were on the train the whole time.

The Kyoshi Warriors all chatted among themselves as we walked though the palace, clearly comfortable. I stayed silent. I had seen some impressive buildings before, growing up in a noble family. But this was something else. The inside of the palace was just as impressive as the outside. The hallways were covered in a lush red carpet. Red and gold banners hung from the walls. Those seemed to be pretty much the only colors in the palace—red and gold. The sheer amount of gold everywhere in the palace was stunning. Golden trim on the walls. Golden lights and chandeliers. Golden ceiling murals.

Almost too soon, our guard stopped in front of a large set of doors, once again trimmed with an impressive amount of gold. He knocked abruptly on the towering door, which was quickly opened from the inside by another guard in an identical uniform.

_Oh my gosh, this was it._

We filed through the doors, and for the first time in years, I saw him. Fire Lord Zuko.

Fire Lord Zuko was striding confidently toward our party. His dark hair—tied up in the traditional half up, half down Fire Lord style—and rich red robes perfectly complemented his fair skin. He was taller than I expected and _built_. His shoulders were deliciously broad and strong, tapering down to a slim waist. His robes were fitted, and the light of the room cast shadows on his figure, emphasizing clearly defined shoulder and chest muscles. My mouth was dry. I knew he was attractive—that’s why I had a crush on him. But I had only ever seen him before from far away, and when we were both much younger. Nothing could have prepared me for this.

Out of everything about him, what really made me stop in my tracks was his smile. He was smiling widely at the returning Kyoshi Warriors. It was a genuine, open smile, reaching his striking gold eyes. It lit up his whole face, even the deep red scar he was famous for.

For a moment, the world felt frozen, the sound of his heavy black boots approaching us the only sound I could hear.

I bit my lip, willing myself back into the present moment. I knew I was staring, hopelessly entranced by the man approaching us.

Ty Lee noticed it too, by the way she subtly elbowed by side and grinned at me.

“Suki, Ty Lee, Kari, Teira.”

Fire Lord Zuko greeted the Kyoshi Warriors by name, and fuck, his voice was the final nail in my coffin. It was rough and soft and commanding all at the same time. I was relishing in just hearing him talk—what was wrong with me? I didn’t even comprehend the next few things Fire Lord Zuko said, just taking in the gravel of his voice, trying to will my mind away from the dirty place it was threatening to go. Then he turned his attention to me.

“You didn’t tell me we were having a guest,” he said. His eyes raked over me, excruciatingly slow. I was frozen in place. I swear his bright smile briefly morphed into a smirk—was I just imagining things now? What was _wrong_ with me?

Ty Lee, quickly realizing I was struggling, jumped in to save me.

“Zuko, this is my best friend, Mina Zhang, daughter of Reizon and Meilin Zhang.”

The mention of my parents’ names snapped me back to reality enough to remember my manners. I bowed deeply just like I had been taught, lowering my gaze respectfully. “Fire Lord Zuko.”

“Mina Zhang,” he said my name—fuck, his voice was still so hot—as I rose from my bow. I made the mistake of looking up, and found his eyes gazing right back into mine. He held my gaze for a second, his expression… _playful?_ “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” I responded shyly. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

With that, Zuko’s attention was back off me, and back to his friends and bodyguards. “Shall we eat?” he asked.

Ty Lee nudged me again as we were taking our seats a the much-too-long banquet table. “What was that?” she whispered.

“I don’t know,” I whispered back helplessly.

I was so caught up in Fire Lord Zuko that it hadn’t even occurred to me how bizarre of a situation I was in. The Fire Lord and the Kyoshi Warriors were clearly close. They had referred him multiple times and even addressed him to his face informally as just “Zuko.” No title. This was an informal dinner between friends. I had no business being here. Suddenly, I felt like I was intruding on an intimate moment I shouldn’t be. I wasn’t one of his close friends. I didn’t belong here, having an informal dinner with the Fire Lord.

And yet, it had almost felt like he was flirting with me. The Fire Lord, flirting with me. I must be insane. But then why did it keep feeling that way?

To my surprise, the dinner was not incredibly awkward. Fire Lord Zuko and the Kyoshi Warriors did most of the talking, speaking like they were all old friends, not the Fire Lord and his personal bodyguard. Overall, I was incredibly proud of my performance. I managed to remember the manners that had been drilled into me my entire life, and for once, I was grateful for them. Did I almost have a heart attack the first time Fire Lord Zuko directly asked me a question? Yes. But did I manage to respond coherently? Yes.

The dinner ended faster than I expected. It wasn’t a huge meal, but it was delicious. Despite my nerves, I ate as much as I could, never one to turn down food placed in front of me.

The Kyoshi Warriors and Fire Lord Zuko were finishing up the conversation, preparing to leave.

“You still on for spa night tomorrow?” Suki suddenly asked Fire Lord Zuko.

Zuko grinned, golden eyes sparkling again. “How did you even know about that? You’ve been back for two hours.”

Suki grinned right back. “I have my ways.”

“In that case, I’ll be there,” Fire Lord Zuko said. He turned his gaze to me once again. “I trust you’re coming as well.”

My brain stuttered to a stop. What do I say? I didn’t even know they were having a spa night. Oh my gosh did Fire Lord Zuko want me to be there? Luckily, Suki spoke up this time, saving me.

“Of course!” she assured Zuko, glancing mischievously at me.

I swear Fire Lord Zuko was smirking again when he looked back at me. “I’ll see you there. Also, feel free to call me Zuko.”

I was floored. What was even happening anymore?

The Kyoshi Warriors and Fire Lord Zuko—or just Zuko?—were finishing up their goodbyes for the night. I left the banquet room with them in a daze, almost tripping over the base of the massive doorframe on the way out. I winced internally, hoping Zuko wasn’t watching us leave.

As soon as we were outside, Suki and Ty Lee turned on me. Kari and Teira smiled knowingly at their enthusiasm, hanging back a bit, as they often did when Suki got excited. But were clearly also amused.

“What was _that_?” Suki demanded.

“I—I don’t know,” I admitted honestly.

“Zuko was _very clearly_ flirting with you,” Ty Lee gushed.

“But—”

“No buts!” Suki interrupted. “Trust me, it was _very_ obvious. I know what Zuko flirting looks like.”

My confusion was only getting stronger. This was such a _weird_ situation I had gotten myself into. How had I gone from freaking out about leaving my house this morning to this? But I was getting hopeful, too. And a little excited.

But the most excited one among us was undoubtedly Suki. She was practically vibrating with energy, bouncing on the balls of her feet and grinning widely. This was undoubtedly the most excited I had seen her since I met her.

“Wait until I tell _Toph_ about this,” she gushed to Ty Lee.

Ty Lee shook her head, smiling sympathetically at me. “You’re gonna make tomorrow night hell for Mina,” she chided Suki, but there wasn’t much energy behind it.

“I’m not going to make it hell, I just want to make sure Mina knows. I am so excited for this to play out.” She glared at me without menace. “I’m expecting a lot from you two tomorrow night.”

Part of my brain was still screaming, _what is happening??_ But I was excited for tomorrow night. Suki seemed to have had something with Zuko in the past, and now I was friends with Suki. And Zuko—the Fire Lord himself—had asked me to address him informally. Fuck it, I was going to a _spa night_ with him. Both Suki and Ty Lee were confident that Zuko was flirting with me. Nothing seemed impossible anymore. And if Suki wanted me to flirt back? If _Zuko_ wanted me to flirt back? Now that was something I could do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a note about the train, in case it bothered anyone (idk why I'm even including it): The Fire Nation capital is on an island. The Fire Nation as a whole is an island nation. And yet they took a train there. Honestly, I just wanted there to be a train. I like trains. My justification is that the Fire Nation is based on imperial Japan, and Japan is also an “island nation” and they have great trains. So, in summary, I just wanted trains.


	2. Into the Hot Springs

The next morning, Ty Lee was at my door bright and early to give me a tour of the palace. First things first, though, I made her help me send a carrier falcon to my parents. Ty Lee helped me craft a maximum suck-up message to my parents, playing up how I was getting to do so much networking with the royals. (Which, Ty Lee pointed out, wasn’t even a lie—I was certainly doing some sort of “networking” with the Fire Lord.)

Once we sent the falcon off, Ty Lee dragged me away on a tour of the Royal Palace and her favorite spots in Capital City. The whole area was beautiful—a mix of red and gold buildings and trim, structures carved out of the rock from the underlying volcano, and lush trees and flowers. I forced Ty Lee to stop with me at a roadside vendor selling art supplies. I _needed_ to get some of this scenery down on paper. I was tempted to buy an entire paint set, but Ty Lee talked me into a more practical sketchpad and charcoals.

Ty Le informed me that lunch was served at the Royal Palace every day at noon. However, she insisted that we have lunch at her favorite vendor in an open-air market. We got a collection of fried dough and seafood dumplings, a cuisine Capital City is famous for. As Ty Lee promised, it was delicious.

By mid-afternoon, we had been wandering around the city for hours, and it had gotten so hot it was almost unbearable. I had thought summers in my hometown were hot, but here they were something else. Ty Lee and I both decided to call it quits on the walking tour, and instead Ty Lee took me to the Royal Palace’s private pool, promising by evening it’d cool down enough that we could do whatever we wanted. It didn’t even occur to me to bring a bathing suit with me, so Ty Lee lent me an extra of hers.

After cooling off in the pool, Ty Lee had a delicious and hearty dinner courtesy of the kitchen staff at the Royal Palace. Then we retired to our rooms for a bit of rest before spa night. To relax, I opened up my brand new sketchpad and began creating a rough outline of some scenery I remembered. For a city built inside a dormant volcano, Capital City had plenty of gorgeous greenery. I found myself sketching out the Royal Palace framed by a grove of carefully manicured cherry trees. Combinations of of man-made structures and nature was one of my favorite subjects to sketch; I loved how the hard lines and geometric shapes of buildings and machines intertwined with the soft and flowing forms of foliage and flowers.

I resisted the urge to make a sketch of Zuko—that was just weird, right?

The next thing I knew, Ty Lee and Suki were barging into my room. “Ready to go?” Ty Lee asked excitedly. They were already in bathing suits, covered mostly by silk shower robes, and wooden shower shoes.

I looked up at my clock in shock. Somehow an hour had already flown by. I hadn’t even changed into my bathing suit yet.

“Give me just a sec!” I said, dashing to the bathroom where the bathing suit I had borrowed earlier was hanging to dry in my shower. I slipped it on, wincing as the still-damp, cold fabric made contact with my skin. It wasn’t nearly as hot anymore, and I was chilly wearing just a damp bathing suit. I quickly slipped on my shower robe over top in an attempt to warm myself back up. I took just a moment to brush my hair in front of the mirror—I was running late, but if Zuko was going to be there I wanted to look at least somewhat put-together.

When I stepped back out to join Ty Lee and Suki, another girl was standing next to them. She had short, black hair tied up in a practical updo and was significantly shorter than the rest of us. She looked young. But the most striking thing about her was her eyes—her pale gray eyes were unfocused and empty, yet at the same time I felt like they were boring straight through me, seeing my deepest emotions. It was intimidating.

“Mina, this is Toph!” Ty Lee introduced the girl. “Toph, Mina.”

Toph grinned at me, crossing her arms. She immediately opened up with, “I heard you were flirting with Zuko.”

I spluttered a bit, unsure of what to say. “Nice to meet you too?” I managed.

Suki giggled. “Don’t mind Toph. She’s just going to tease you mercilessly for the rest of your life.”

Toph scowled. “Hey, I’m not that bad.”

Ty Lee and Suki just looked at each other. Toph shook her head, scooping up a huge glass bottle from the floor next to her. She gestured down the hallway with the bottle.

“Y’all ready to get drunk or what?” she asked.

Scratch whatever I had thought before. I liked Toph.

When Toph, Suki, Ty Lee, and I arrived at the hot springs, there were already three new faces seated in the steaming, clear water. A bald kid with a light blue arrow tattoo, and two others with the distinctive dark hair, tan skin, and blue eyes of the water tribes. I recognized them immediately as the Avatar and his two companions, the brother and sister from the Southern Water Tribe. I held back a gasp. I knew I shouldn’t even be surprised anymore. I had already met the Fire Lord himself (and he had flirted with me!) and most of the Avatar’s companions. And now I got to meet the Avatar too. Of course. Just another normal day.

The group all greeted each other like old friends. I hung back, waiting for my turn to meet them.

“Guys, this is my best friend, Mina!” Ty Lee introduced me to the group. The three in the hot tub—including the Avatar—greeted me enthusiastically.

I waved back shyly. “Nice to meet you.” My voice came out softer than I expected it to. Wait, should I bow to the Avatar? He did just seem like a goofy kid, but still.

Ty Lee continued. “Mina, this is Aang and Katara.”

“And this is my boyfriend, Sokka,” Suki finished, sitting down in the hot spring next to the Water Tribe man.

Toph took this moment to follow Suki into the hot spring, albeit with a much less graceful approach. She climbed up on the rock side of the water, took in a big breath, and plugged her nose. Then she flopped backward, limply, into the hot water. The large ensuing splash spattered the members already in the hot tub, prompting a series of exclamations and complaints.

“Suki and Sokka are pretty open with their relationship,” Ty Lee explained to me as we got into the hot spring amidst the chaos.

“Hey, I hear you talking over there!” Suki exclaimed.

“Just thought she should know. You guys can be a bit overwhelming sometimes,” Ty Lee defended herself. Then she sighed as she sank down into the naturally heated water.

“Yeah, that’s fair,” Sokka agreed. “We can be pretty forward, I guess.” He turned his attention to me, a mischievous smirk that looked alarmingly like Suki’s playing on his lips. “So, if you’re ever interested in joining us…”

He let his words trail off, the suggestive nature of his offer clear from his voice and the way he smirked. My eyes appraised the couple again. They looked good together—both had that same sparkle in their eyes that Suki gets when she’s about to tease me. Suki was snuggled up against Sokka’s arm, clearly unfazed by his invitation. Suki, well, Suki was just gorgeous. She had striking, sparkling eyes, a naturally heart-shaped face, and was quick to smile. And I had to admit Sokka was hot. He had broad, muscular shoulders, a chiseled jawline, and a mischievous smile just as infectious as Suki’s. His deep blue eyes complemented his tanned skin perfectly.

Confirming that Suki didn’t mind, I responded boldly. “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, looking coyly up at Sokka from under my eyelashes.

Sokka’s jaw dropped, although his relaxed pose and rolled-back shoulders still conveyed the same confidence. Suki clearly wasn’t expecting that response either, but recovered quickly, letting out a straight-up cackle. “Oh my gosh! Don’t let Zuko hear that!”

It was at that very moment that Zuko arrived on the scene, his playful, “Don’t let me hear what?” reaching my ears before I saw him.

I twisted around to see Zuko so hard I almost gave myself whiplash. Just like yesterday, I was immediately captivated by his figure. Holy fuck, he looked hot shirtless. The outlines of muscles I had seen through his robes yesterday didn’t at all prepare me for facing a shirtless, shining Zuko. His upper body was sinfully sculpted. The broadness of his shoulders. The sharp lines of his collarbones and pale expanse of his neck and chest. The curves of his biceps and forearms. The ridges of his abs leading into the dips of his hipbones, then the deep v-lines leading down into… fuck, my mind was not under control. Zuko’s pale skin shimmered in the steam of the hot springs, and I drank all of it in eagerly.

Aang and Katara greeted Zuko enthusiastically, seemingly oblivious to the conversation we had just been having and my brief mental shutdown.

“They’re being gross; make them stop!” Toph complained to Zuko, waving toward me, Sokka, and Suki.

Seriously though, was the sight not shirtless Zuko not rendering everyone else unable to think as well? Was it really just me?

“Gross, huh?” was Zuko’s response.

I didn’t miss the way his eyes glanced up and down the exposed parts of my body as he said it. The water of the hot spring covered most of my body, but I knew the waterline rested just below the cleavage expose by my low-cut red bathing suit top. This time, as Zuko appraised me, I didn’t freeze in my tracks. I met Zuko’s eyes and held them for just the briefest second once he was finished. The hot spring was silent except for the drone of bugs in the distant night. The faintest smirk crossed Zuko’s lips as we met eyes, and something inside me twisted in anticipation.

“Ookay, who’s ready to fucking drink?” Toph asked—practically demanded—loudly, breaking the moment.

The silence broken, the rest of the gang clamored enthusiastically for the bottles of alcohol, fruit juice, and glasses. I found out the bottle Toph had been lugging around earlier was a particularly strong brand of whiskey.

“Zuko gets us all the good stuff,” Suki whispered conspiratorially in my ear.

Zuko stretched leisurely before getting into the water. His hair was down now; long enough to almost fall into his eyes and framing his face and in a way that made it look almost soft. His face relaxed as he sighed softly, pulling his arms together behind his back to stretch out his shoulders. I couldn’t help but watch.

Soon, Sokka was offering to make me a mixed drink. I eagerly agreed, and he poured me a mixed concoction of citrus juices, Toph’s whiskey, and sparkling water. He poured the bottles with flair, holding the alcohol high above the glass and mimicking an expression I had seen on pompous chefs in high-end restaurants.

Unfortunately, his pouring skills were not quite up to par with his act, resulting in him dumping a good splash of whiskey into the hot spring.

“Watch it dipshit!” Toph yelled, clutching the bottle of alcohol that was currently in her hands tightly to her chest.

Sokka cackled, unbothered, as he handed me my drink.

“We might have had a bit to drink before we got here,” Suki admitted as we watched Sokka struggle to shove the cork back into the whiskey bottle. 

Hanging out with Ty Lee and her friends here made me feel like I was back at university, just partying with a bunch of my college friends. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming—it made it easy to forget that they were possibly the most influential group of friends in the world. The Fire Lord, the Avatar, and the people who ended the Hundred Year War only four years ago.

Soon, everyone except Aang and Katara was good and tipsy. I was no exception. Toph and Sokka were the loudest of the bunch, playfully teasing and butting heads with each other the whole night. Suki giggled at everything Sokka said, and Sokka upped his antics to make Suki keep laughing. Ty Lee engaged in excited conversations with everyone, her attention darting between me, Katara, Zuko, and Suki.

“Guys, I have a great idea!” Suki announced to the group. Once everyone’s attention was on her: “Truth or dare!”

It was immediately met by a groan from Toph. “Suki, you _always_ want to play truth or dare.”

“Yeah, but now it’s more fun because we have a _new member_.” Suki raised her eyebrows pointedly and tilted her head toward me.

“I’m down,” Sokka said lazily. Suki squeezed his bicep she had been cuddling excitedly.

Suddenly, I wished I was in Suki’s position. Not with Sokka—no, that’s not what I meant—but I wish I had someone I could lean on so comfortably. Someone I could cuddle so easily. I was an unabashedly cuddly drunk. I was also a bit of a horny drunk. When I went to parties in university, I loved flirting and finding someone to go home with. But here? Although there was definitely a spark between us, I couldn’t exactly see myself going home with the Fire Lord. The way Suki and Sokka looked at each other, I could see the chemistry, and knew from experience that they were going to have a fun night after we parted ways tonight. I wanted to be cuddling someone like that. I wanted to look at someone like that, have them look back the same way, and just feel sure about them.

“Truth or dare, then?” Zuko suggested again.

He said it nonchalantly, but I could tell Toph at least was amused by his proposal.

As the gang slowly agreed to play, I decided that Ty Lee was going to be the target of my cuddles for now. Ty Lee, who happens to be not just a cuddly drunk but a cuddly human being at all times, readily accepted me squeezing myself up next to her with an arm around my shoulders.

“I’ll go first!” Suki declared.

Suki immediately decided on Toph as her first target. Toph easily chose dare, to which Suki dared Toph to go to the kitchen, grab a spoonful of butter, and eat it in front of us. Toph grumbled and griped about having to get out of the hot springs, but after mumbling something about never turning down a dare, headed off to the kitchen. We decided to skip Toph’s turn for the time being and passed it on to Sokka.

Sokka declared his target: “Zuko.”

“Dare,” Zuko repeated. He was lounged comfortably against the wall of the hot spring across from me, arms spread out behind him along the ridge of the rock wall.

Sokka pumped his fists in the air, grinning maniacally. “I dare you to…” He took a big breath, pausing. “Do a naked lap around the hot springs.”

His suggestion was immediately met by protests from Katara. “Come on, Sokka. Isn’t that too much? He’s the Fire Lord—what if someone sees him?”

“High stakes then, I guess,” Sokka said, still grinning at Zuko.

Katara just responded with a, “hmph.”

Zuko shook his head but started getting out of the hot tub. “You just wanted me to strip in front of you, didn’t you?” he teased Sokka.

“You know it,” Sokka replied cockily.

Zuko started to pull down his pants, revealing just a little more of that tantalizing V leading down from his hips. He was still maintaining eye contact with Sokka. My jaw dropped involuntarily. Was he actually going to do it?

But Katara immediately put a stop to his antics with some loud protesting.

Zuko chuckled and let go of his dripping swim trunks. “See you losers soon,” he said as he jogged away from the hot spring.

The hot springs weren’t too large, so we waited for Zuko to return before we continued the game.

“I did not need to see any of that,” Katara complained to her older brother, rubbing her eyes like she was trying to forget what she had just witnessed. Aang soothingly massaged her shoulders from his position next to her.

Zuko was back at the hot spring after a few minutes. His broad chest rose and fell as he panted just slightly from the heat and jogging. He literally shined in the dim light of the hot spring, his bare skin covered in a sheen of sweat and mist.

“Your turn, Zuko!” Katara said happily.

Zuko took his time stepping back into the hot spring and sinking into the water up to his chest. Then he turned to me. “Mina.”

“Oh shit,” I heard Suki whisper.

“Truth,” I responded.

“You have to make out with someone in this hot spring. Who is it?”

I knew my answer immediately. “You.”

I managed to hold Zuko’s gaze, although I felt my cheeks heating up when he raised his eyebrows at me. He looked so good in this light, the torches around the hot spring causing soft red and orange shadows to dance across his hair and face.

“What’d I miss?” Toph’s voice rang across the hot springs. I turned to see her standing on the side of the bath, triumphantly holding a heaping spoonful of butter.

Suki immediately homed in on the butter. “Yes!” she cackled. “Eat the butter!”

Toph’s face betrayed no hesitation. “You ready?” she asked Suki.

“Eat the butter!” Aang echoed.

Toph tilted her head up, closed her eyes, and let the massive spoonful of butter fall into her mouth. She munched it around a little, swallowed, and then opened her mouth wide at us. It was empty. The butter was gone.

“Gross,” Katara groaned. Suki, Sokka, Aang, and Ty Lee cackled uncontrollably.

I glanced at Zuko to see his reaction. He was just smiling lightly, completely relaxed. His upper body was completely open, his arms still resting behind him on the lip of the hot spring. His head was tilted slightly to the side, his shaggy hair falling away from his face. He was quiet but looked so completely at ease and comfortable with his friends. Something in my heart clenched. He wasn’t just hot; he was absolutely beautiful.

The game of truth or dare continued. The more it went on, the drunker we all got. The drunker we got, the raunchier the questions got. Even Katara had some to drink and started asking dirty questions. Sokka pretended to be scandalized, but couldn’t hide his infectious laughter.

Toph and Zuko seemed to be fighting to ask the dirtiest questions. “How many dicks have you sucked?” was followed by, “What’s your favorite position?” which was followed by, “What’s your number one kink?” As we all got drunker, everyone chose truth more and more often, which just gave them more opportunities. (Except Toph, who I don’t think chose truth once the entire game.) I suspect we all didn’t want to get up.

Deep into the game, I asked, “Fuck, marry, kill everyone here?” which was met by confusion from the rest of the group. I explained the concept: Out of everyone in a selected group, you have to choose one person to fuck, one person to marry, and one person to kill.

I had originally asked the question to Suki, but she was so excited by the concept that she insisted everyone in the hot springs go around in a circle and make their own selection.

“Kill Toph, fuck Sokka, and marry… Ty Lee,” Suki decided.

“Hey!” Sokka and Toph exclaimed at the same time.

“But I fucked you!” Suki defended her decision to Sokka.

“But then you married Ty Lee!” Sokka shot back.

That prompted Ty Lee to go next, and she immediately chose to kill Sokka. Sokka spluttered indignantly.

By the end of the round of fuck, marry, kill, everyone seemed to have forgotten about the game, and had instead turned to bickering about each other’s choices.

“I can’t believe I got killed _five times_ ,” Sokka wailed.

“I can’t believe I didn’t get killed at all,” Zuko admitted.

“No one in their right mind would try to kill you,” Aang told him.

I smiled softly at Zuko and Aang’s exchange. I remembered who Zuko had chosen—marry Aang and fuck me. Part of me was excited because I had also chosen to fuck Zuko. But the sweetest part was that Zuko had chosen to marry Aang. It was obvious they were incredibly close, despite their drastically different personalities. Aang was always encouraging Zuko and gently defending him, kind of like how Ty Lee always did for me. I could see that Zuko relied on Aang a lot, but Aang also needed Zuko.

But then Toph pulled me back into the fray, lamenting about how she couldn’t believe I would kill her above Suki.

After the fuck, marry, kill argument, the game of truth or dare was deemed over. No one seemed eager to pick it back up, and the night dissolved into just talking and playful banter. I couldn’t tell how long we were out there—it felt like hours. Eventually, after Suki and Sokka had slumped together and Aang started to fall asleep on Katara’s shoulder, we decided to call it a night.

Slowly and clumsily, we all clambered out of the hot spring. I hadn’t realized how prune-y my hands were until I raised them out of the water to try and get up. I was good and tipsy—just getting over the low rock wall surrounding the spring seemed like a huge step.

Sure enough, I misjudged the distance I needed to step, tripping on the way out of the water. My brain didn’t register much more than an _oh shit_ as I felt myself pitching toward the ground, nothing around to grab hold of and catch myself.

Suddenly, strong hands wrapped around my arms, pulling me back to my feet and steadying me. I looked up to find myself once again gazing into Zuko’s eyes. Zuko had caught me.

“Are you okay?” Zuko asked softly. “Do you want me to walk you to your room?”

I knew my cheeks were flushed red, and not just from the alcohol. Zuko still held a gentle grip on my shoulders. “I’ll be fine, thank you,” I insisted. I appreciated Zuko saving me—I was drunker than I had thought—but I wasn’t sure I’d survive the embarrassment if Zuko had to catch me again.

Unfortunately for my clumsy, drunk self, that’s exactly what happened. I stumbled again—not as bad this time, but noticeably—as I slipped my feet back into my shower shoes.

This time Zuko chuckled as he held out his arm to steady me once again. “Sure you don’t want me to walk you to your room?” he asked, a smile in his voice.

“That would actually be very nice,” I agreed sheepishly.

Zuko stepped away for a moment to shrug his robe back over his shoulders. He left it untied in the front, though, letting a tempting amount of skin show as the robe hung open. Then he held my robe for me as I slipped my arms through and tied it around my waist.

Around us, everyone was pairing off to retire for the night. A very sleepy Suki rested on Sokka’s shoulder as he gently wrapped his arms around her waist. Aang was helping a tipsy Katara back into her robe. Ty Lee looked sleepy—her usual pep missing for the moment—but seemed to be holding up well on her own. Toph, despite the astronomical quantities of alcohol she had drank, seemed the least fazed out of anyone. She quickly put on her robes, announced she was going to bed, and marched off solidly on her own.

Ty Lee murmured a sleepy, “Good night,” to me and a, “Take care of her,” to Zuko before also trudging off. Aang also waved goodnight to us as Katara sleepily wrapped her arms around him and they headed off. I hadn’t seen him drink a thing the whole night. Maybe it was a monk thing. Sokka and Suki were in their own little world, gazing into each other’s eyes, seemingly oblivious to everyone leaving.

Zuko held out his arm for me, which I took with a giggle. Even in the steamy air surrounding the hot springs, he seemed to radiate heat. His arm was solid with muscle, easily supporting my weight as I leaned against him. Just feeling the arm muscles that rippled under his robe and the firmness of his hold on me sent a string of dirty thoughts playing through my mind. I forced them out (for the time being, at least).

Our walk back to my room was mostly silent, but I felt comfortable. Maybe it was the alcohol, but I felt at ease just being present with Zuko.

We stopped outside my room.

“I’m glad you came,” Zuko said softly.

We had turned to face each other. I dropped my arm from Zuko’s, running my hand slowly down forearm until we were holding hands. I gazed up into Zuko’s eyes, which were softly watching me.

“Me too,” I replied, just as gentle. “I had a really good time with everyone. With you.”

We paused, silence taking over again. I didn’t even realize my eyes were slowly trailing down his face until I was staring at Zuko’s lips. They were pouty and pink and looked so _soft_ and I was captivated. It wasn’t until Zuko’s tongue darted out to wet his lips that I realized his gaze was fixed on my lips too. He looked _hungry_ almost, like he wanted to devour me where I stood. My knees threatened to buckle under me. 

“Will I see you tomorrow?” Zuko finally asked, barely above a whisper, breaking the silence.

“Please,” I whispered back. I wasn’t even sure what I was responding to, whether it was an answer to his question or a plea for him to take over and close the distance between our lips.

But Zuko just grinned and pulled away, seemingly completely unfazed by our encounter, leaving me a panting mess. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Mina.”

 _Wait, what just happened?_ My mind was still reeling. I shouldn’t have expected to kiss the Fire Lord the day after I met him, what was I thinking? But that moment kept replaying in my mind—the way Zuko looked at me, how I was so ready to submit to him and let him do whatever he wanted with me. Fuck, I wanted him so bad.

“Goodnight, Zuko,” I replied in a daze.


	3. The Banquet

When I woke up the next morning, I knew I had slept in late. Light was streaming through my window, the sun already high in the sky. I groaned, my body sore from sleeping so long and my stomach protesting from all the whiskey I drank the night before. Ugh, why did I drink so much again? This was all Toph’s fault for bringing that whiskey in the first place.

It took me a few long minutes to finally convinced my body to sit up. My mouth tasted and felt like something had crawled in and died in it last night.

“Water,” I croaked feebly to the empty room, glaring blurrily at my bedside table.

Unfortunately, there was no water on the table. I would have to get up and got to the bathroom to get some. Ugh. But there was something else on the table, I realized—a note. I grabbed the note first to procrastinate on having to get up. It was short and handwritten in neat cursive. Like it was written by someone who spent a lot of time writing.

_Meet me in my office at noon._

_-Zuko_

I squinted at the clock on my wall. _Fuck._ It was already 11:30.

I got up slowly, careful not to alarm my stomach with sudden movements. The key to getting over hangovers was being gentle. I just hoped it would mostly pass by the time I needed to be in Zuko’s office. I padded over to the bathroom in my bare feet to prepare myself for the day.

After taking a few cautious sips of water, brushing my teeth, and rinsing my face with cold water, I felt better. More awake and much less sickly. Like I was ready to face Zuko again. Which reminded me—Zuko. Last night. I flushed a little, remembering how needy I had been with Zuko’s lips so close to mine. How submissive I had felt in the face of a hot, hungry Zuko. And then how completely nonchalant he looked after he pulled away. Something in my core tightened up with anticipation. I wanted to see Zuko like that again. I wanted to see what would happen if he didn’t hold back. Maybe today in his office would be a continuation of last night… it seemed too good to be true, but I couldn’t help hoping.

Daydreaming about Zuko, I picked out my clothes for the day. I opted for a more casual look today, rather than the formal dress I had worn on the first day. I mentally cursed myself for only bringing two light, summer outfits. At this rate, I was going to have to go home just to get more clothes because there was no way I was wearing formal robes during the swelteringly hot days. I had already re-worn the outfit I wore on the train to the palace. (I know—not classy at all. Hopefully, no one noticed.)

Today’s outfit was a pink two-piece that Ty Lee had tried on multiple occasions to lift from me. The top had puffy short sleeves and a sweetheart neck, cinched and ruffled at the base of the sleeves and neckline like lace. The skirt was long and layered with the same ruffled, pink. The structured waistband, which dipped slightly to a v-shaped point down from my hips just below my belly button, created a single red accent. It was an undeniably sweet and cutesy look. Most girls in the Fire Nation seemed to go for more regal and structured looks, but I loved outfits that just felt cute in their relative simplicity. The best part about it was how light the fabric was. I was tempted to go without a bra just because of the heat, but at the last moment decided I should probably wear one. Realizing it was almost noon, I quickly tied up my hair and added a gold headband and bracelet to finish off the look.

It occurred to me after I stepped out of my room that I didn’t actually know where I was going. I sheepishly asked the first guard I could find if he could lead me to Zuko’s office.

The guard raised an eyebrow at me, probably wondering who I was, but let out a, “Follow me,” and turned to lead the way. The hallways of the Royal Palace still all looked the same to me, so I was glad for his guidance. When we arrived, even the walls of Zuko’s study looked like the walls of the banquet hall we had met him in two days earlier. Far larger than necessary and trimmed with gold.

“I’ll let you take it from here?” the guard said, but it sounded more like a question. I felt that. What was the appropriate way to casually visit the Fire Lord in his office? Should I just knock?

Despite my hesitance, I assured the guard I was fine and thanked him for his time. He nodded and walked off. I decided to knock and wait a moment before just barging in. After a few seconds, there was no response, so I opened the door to head in. And damn, it was as heavy as it looked. I managed to get it open without having to lean against it and push with my body weight, but just barely. No wonder Zuko was so ripped—he had to open these freaking doors every day. A bit of giddy excitement bubbled up inside me as I entered Zuko’s office.

Zuko was still buried in his work when I entered. He looked up when I entered, his normally sparkling gold eyes dull and tired.

“Zuko?” I said his name hesitantly.

Zuko managed a small smile. “Mina.” He straightened some papers on his desk, tapping the edges to get them in line, and placed his pen back in its ink well. “Sorry, I thought I’d have more work done by now.”

I felt so bad for him. He looked exhausted. “Oh… I’m sorry. Should I come back later?”

“No, stay. Please.”

I stood in front of his desk, hands clasped in front of me at my waist, unsure of what to do next. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Zuko sighed. “There’s just so much that needs to be worked out right now with the Earth Kingdom and this new republic we’re working on.” He glanced down at the stack of documents sitting in front of him. There was an even larger stack off to the side. “I feel like I’ve been signing and approving new initiatives nonstop. And then there’s the crime and uprisings.”

“Around the new Republic City?” I remembered learning about this in school—in some of the Fire Nation colonies, the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom residents had become so used to living in harmony that they refused to return to the Earth Kingdom. After they almost started another war between the two nations, Zuko, the Avatar, and the Earth King mediated a settlement: they would found a whole new nation where people from all over the world could live together. It was still weird being friends with those people I learned about in school now—Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko.

“Yeah,” Zuko confirmed. “Trying to create a law enforcement force has been a bit of a disaster.” He reached up to his topknot, loosening the tie to let his hair fall loose again, running his hand through the thick strands.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

Zuko smiled up at me. Maybe it was because he had let his hair down, but his face looked softer now, less tense. “No, it’s not your fault. I’m just stressed.” He sighed, letting his hand fall limply from his hair to his side.

“I hate seeing you stressed though,” I pouted. “I wish I could do something to help.” I was still standing a few feet in front of Zuko’s desk, feeling a little strange having to look down at him for once.

“You are helping,” Zuko said softly. He got up and walked over to the side of the desk I was on. He leaned against the edge of the desk, just barely sitting, and cleared off a spot next to him. Following his example, I took the spot he had cleared.

“I’m glad you came,” Zuko continued. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

I blushed at the simple honesty of his words and looked up shyly at him. This felt so intimate in a completely different way from our other moments. Sitting next to the Fire Lord on his study desk, listening to his soft compliments. This Zuko was completely different from the one I had seen last night, and I loved both sides.

“Thanks,” I said, smiling up at him.

His eyes were soft now and he smiled more easily as he looked back at me. He looked so young, smiling softly in the sunlight streaming through his study’s windows. His long bangs fell into his eyes. I knew he had already been through so much, from being banished by his own father at such a young age to taking on the role of Fire Lord at age sixteen. And he was only twenty now.

Zuko looked down his lap for a moment, still smiling to himself, before speaking again. “I called you here because I wanted to invite you to a dinner tonight. My uncle’s returning home with some Earth Kingdom delegates.” He twiddled his thumbs in his lap, rubbing them together before clasping his hands and continuing. “It probably won’t be very interesting. Just a bunch of repetitive speeches by politicians.”

Wait! I knew about this dinner already. Ty Lee and I had talked about it this morning. She was going with the other Kyoshi Warriors. Wait until I told her that I was invited too!

I giggled, bumping shoulders with Zuko playfully. “You’re not exactly selling it.”

“Hey, I’m just being honest,” he protested, his still-gravelly voice pitched up slightly.

I was just teasing. At this point, I would probably do anything Zuko asked me to. “I’ll be there.”

Zuko looked up at me like he hadn’t expected to get this far. “Great!” He ran his hand through his hair again, pushing his long, shaggy bangs back out of his eyes. Oh my gosh, he was so cute like this. I resisted the urge to squish his cheek. Something told me that wasn’t an appropriate way to treat the Fire Lord.

“I’d like to have you sit by me,” Zuko continued, “but the Council has been shoving down my throat that I need to start thinking about getting engaged. They would have a field day if I invited a beautiful young woman to sit next to me at a formal dinner.” He grinned at me. I was so completely captivated. “I could reserve you a spot with the Kyoshi Warriors, though,” Zuko finished.

Oh my gosh, and I would get to sit with Ty Lee! And Suki! Suki was probably hilarious at political dinners. This was fantastic news. “That’d be great!” I told Zuko.

“I’ll see you tonight then?” Zuko asked. He looked apologetically back at the stacks of papers behind us. “Sorry, I kind of need to get a lot of work done before then.”

I stood up first. “See you tonight,” I said with a smile.

* * *

Ty Lee and I met up in the garden that afternoon before the dinner. We had originally made plans to hang out since Ty Lee would be busy all evening. But now I got to tell Ty Lee the news…

“I’m going to the dinner!” I exclaimed as soon as we met up.

Ty Lee, ever my number one hype man, was ecstatic. “Oh my gosh, that’s so great!” Then she looked at me critically, point her index finger at my chest and furling her eyebrows. “Zuko invited you, didn’t he?”

“Yeah,” I giggled at her accusation.

But Ty Lee immediately dropped her accusatory stance, flung out her arms, and pulled me into a hug. “This is so exciting!” She released me and very seriously continued, “Zuko totally likes you.”

“Yeah, I think he does,” I said happily. Just saying it out loud made me feel like butterflies were flapping around in my chest, trying to pull me right off my feet.

Ty Lee just grinned at me, watching me getting caught up in my own admission. “I’m so happy for you. Seriously.”

I was still on cloud nine, thinking about Zuko. I had only known him for two days, and at the beginning it was just a physical attraction. That man was _hot_. But now it was growing into something more. There were so many sides to him. He was sweet, cocky, strong, shy, and sincere. I just wanted to see more of him. I wanted to learn everything that made up the man that was Zuko. I wanted to learn what made him happy, what made him love, what he was afraid of. I had never fallen for someone so hard or so fast before.

Ty Lee’s giggle broke my train of thought. “You’re zoning out,” she told me.

“Sorry,” I said, shaking my head to snap out of it.

“Don’t worry about it,” Ty Lee said. She was still grinning like she somehow knew what was going through my head. “I know what we need to do.”

“What’s that?” I asked innocently.

“We need to get you ready for this banquet,” Ty Lee said determinedly. “This is a big night for you—you’ve got a Fire Lord’s attention to capture. We’re gonna make sure the only thing Zuko can think about tonight is you.”

I blushed at Ty Lee’s bold words. I was no stranger to dressing up to catch someone’s eye. That’s what I did for pretty much every party I went to at university. But doing that for a formal dinner. It seemed, I don’t know… wrong, somehow.

“But there are going to be a bunch of, like, Earth Nation delegates. And the Royal Family,” I said hesitantly.

Ty Lee laughed. “You’re not gonna be, like, slutty. Trust me, I’ve got this.”

Oh, yeah. Duh. I guess that’s kind of where I had gotten hung up. I mean, I’d been to plenty of political dinners. I always dressed up, did my makeup and hair, and looked nice. Honestly, getting dressed up was my favorite part of the events. But it was never for a specific person. And usually I was almost asleep during the actual event, just praying for it to be over.

On Ty Lee’s insistence, we headed up to my room to prepare me for the big banquet. Ty Lee immediately began ravaging through my closet, appraising the excessive quantity of fancy dresses and robes I had brought to the palace. She passed right by all the formal robes with quick verbal dismissals—too baggy; too structured. I flopped onto my bed, letting Ty Lee do her thing.

After a few minutes, Ty Lee whirled around with a huge grin on her face, a dress draped over her arms. She grabbed it by the shoulders and held it out to me excitedly. “This is perfect!”

I recognized the dress immediately. It was one of my favorites—even I thought I looked good in it. It was a dark red dress patterned sparsely with large pink and white cherry blossoms. The neckline was created by overlapping the two side of the dress, like a traditional kimono. However, unlike some of my more traditional wear, this dress was fitted around my bust, shoulders, and hips before tapering out into wide, drooping sleeves and a long, flowing skirt. But my favorite part about it was the pale pink trim around the neckline and sleeves and on its accompanying accessories. Hopefully I had remembered to pack the accessories—a lighter red shoulder piece, sash, and choker, all trimmed with pastel pink.

I quickly agreed with Ty Lee after a quick search through my closet confirmed that I had packed all the necessary accessories. But Ty Lee had already moved on, rummaging around in my bathroom for supplies.

“Can I do your hair?” she called from the bathroom. Her question was followed immediately by the clatter of multiple metal objects falling and a human squeak.

I grinned and shook my head, getting up to join Ty Lee in the bathroom. “Of course.”

I regretted my decision multiple times over the next twenty minutes, wincing as Ty Lee pulled some unruly hair into place a little too hard, followed by her “sorry!” But when she was done, I had to admit she had done an amazing job. She finished off the look with my favorite flower hairpin.

By the time Ty Lee was finished with my hair, it was time for her to leave and do her own makeup—the iconic Kyoshi Warrior facepaint. I finished up the rest of my look, doing my makeup and carefully slipping on my dress and accessories so as to not disturb my hair. I made one final check in the mirror, happy with my look. Hopefully it would be enough to catch Zuko’s attention.

* * *

“Mina!” Suki exclaimed as soon as she saw me. “You look gorgeous!”

“Thanks,” I said shyly, taking my seat next to her and Ty Lee. Ty Lee was looking proudly at my hair as Suki complimented me, I noted with amusement. The Kyoshi Warriors and I had our own, small table in the royal banquet hall, to the left of the main long table.

Most of the room was already filled. Zuko sat at the head of the main table in a chair almost like a throne, embellished with ornate golden decorations. I caught his eye and felt my heartbeat picking up. He looked stunning in his full Fire Lord regalia, so regal and in control, head proudly held high.

Most of the rest of the seats at the table were occupied by older, well-dressed men and women, presumably of high noble status. There were just a few chairs near Zuko left empty. Just as I was wondering who they belonged to, a small band of middle-aged men in Earth Kingdom robes strode into the room.

“The Earth Kingdom delegates,” Ty Lee whispered in my ear.

I remembered Zuko talking about them earlier today. The banquet was being held in honor of their arrival. As they approached, Zuko stood to meet them. Chatter in the room hushed.

“Welcome, Earth Kingdom delegates,” Zuko spoke, his rough voice ringing clear through the room. “We are honored by your visit.”

The delegates bowed in response, one of them speaking up to thank Zuko for inviting them and express his wishes for fruitful and peaceful negotiations. As they took their seats, conversations in the room started back up. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes—this was the classic political talk I expected from events like this. Everyone speaking in unnaturally vague and respectful statements that often served as high-class code for their real thoughts.

But while I was mentally rolling my eyes, Suki cackled next to me. “I love that guy,” she giggled, looking at one of the more elderly Earth Kingdom men. To my confused look, she continued, “He _always_ gives speeches at stuff like this, and they _always_ start out with the worst attempts at jokes you have ever heard.”

Immediately after Suki finished speaking, another one of the Kyoshi Warriors piped up, pulling a glass bottle out from under the tablecloth with a mischievous smirk. “So, who wants to start drinking?”

Her offer was met by cheers and laughter from the other Kyoshi Warriors as they started pouring the wine.

“Aren’t you guys supposed to be Zuko’s personal guard?” I whispered to Suki.

Suki just grinned. “We’re really more of a symbol at events like this. Especially with such high-ranking Earth Kingdom officials present, they’ve got guards out the ass around this banquet room. Plus, it’s just a bit of wine.”

This was shaping up to be the best formal banquet I had ever attended, and not even because of Zuko. When Suki offered me a glass, I gladly accepted. Then came the food. I had been to formal dinners before, but no kitchen staff in the world came close to the cooks at the Royal Palace. The tight sash on my dress was the only thing keeping myself from eating into oblivion as servers brought out dish after delicious dish. The Kyoshi Warriors kept a lively conversation going throughout the dinner, peppered with bouts of Ty Lee swearing she couldn’t eat a bite more, only to dive into the next dish.

“Ugh, there’s no way I’m going to make it to dessert,” she groaned after the second dish.

Suki just laughed. “I’m pretty sure I remember you saying the exact same thing at the last banquet, and then absolutely demolishing dessert,” she teased.

Ty Lee grimaced, looking down at her food suddenly like it had offended her. “Yeah, and then I threw up afterward.”

At that, Suki’s laughter only got louder. I couldn’t help the giggles that escaped me either. It brought back memories of when Ty Lee and I were just little kids. We used to sneak food out of the kitchen at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls and eat ourselves silly. That was such a simple time.

Finally, the servers stopped bringing out more dishes. Cleaning staff whisked away empty dishes and dirty silverware.

“Ugh, I hope the speeches are short,” Suki said.

Immediately after Suki’s words, Zuko rose to signal the beginning of the speeches. The room fell quiet again. I couldn’t help but stare. Even at such a young age, he commanded attention. He smiled confidently, looking so in his element in front of the crowd of nobles.

Zuko’s speech was short and full of formalities, as was to be expected, and yet I was captivated. He looked like he had been born to do this; to be Fire Lord. His perfect topknot pulled his long, shaggy hair away from his face, accentuating his jawline (and _damn_ did he have a jawline) and making his facial features look sharper. I would say he looked hot, but it was more than that. In this moment, as he stood confidently at the end of the table, all attention in the room on him, he was beautiful.

Even after Zuko’s speech, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He watched as the other nobles and Earth Kingdom delegates gave speeches, reacting to each one of them, spreading his presence across the table, smiling easily at the men beside him. Even from a distance, I could feel the charisma radiating from him.

I was temporarily distracted from Zuko when the Earth Kingdom delegate Suki had pointed out stood to speak. Sure enough, he opened with, “Before I begin, I’d like to present a little joke I heard on the way here.”

“Here it comes!” Suki whispered excitedly.

“What do you call a scorpion bee that can’t make up its mind?”

The room was silent for a long, uncomfortable beat before a voice piped up, “What?” Wait, I recognized that voice. I scanned the room, realizing with a start that it was Sokka who had spoken up. Glancing between them, I realized Sokka and Suki were probably the only two people in the room eagerly anticipating this man’s joke.

“A may-bee!”

The room was near silent, Sokka’s “hah!” and Suki’s snort the only sounds. But the delegate seemed completely oblivious, smiling to himself before continuing to his speech.

“That was absolutely awful,” I whispered to Suki.

“I know!” Suki whispered back, ecstatic.

And then my attention was back on Zuko. Damn, I was whipped for this man already.

Almost too soon, the speeches were over and dessert was being served. Wait, _too soon??_ Who even was I anymore? What was Zuko _doing_ to me? I was always the one impatient for speeches to finish just so we could move on to eating sweets. Dessert never came soon enough. This was ridiculous—I was too distracted by Zuko. Get a hold of yourself, Mina.

“See something you like?” Suki asked as chocolate cakes were being passed around.

I blinked, realizing I was still zoned out. “Huh?”

Suki grinned. “You were staring the whole time speeches were happening. At Zuko if I’m not mistaken.”

I felt my cheeks heating up. “Oh, uh… I guess.” Not sure what to say, I stabbed into my chocolate cake and took a big bite.

Suki giggled at my awkwardness. “He kept looking at you too, in case you didn’t notice.”

I couldn’t help the little smile that crept onto my face. “This whole thing feels kinda surreal,” I admitted. I mean, come on. He was the Fire Lord. How had I managed to catch his attention?

“I think it’s cute,” Suki said finally. She pointed at me lazily with a forkful of chocolate cake. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop teasing you about it.”

* * *

I wasn’t expecting to see Zuko after the banquet. He was the Fire Lord after all—there were probably countless things for him to do with the Earth Kingdom delegates visiting. So, I was presently surprised when he sought me out in the crowd that milled slowly out of the banquet hall. He looked even more stunning up close. Seriously, I should have been used to Zuko’s distractingly good looks by then. But I very much was not.

“How did you like the banquet?” Zuko asked politely.

Refocusing my thoughts, I was pleasantly surprised to realize I had actually enjoyed the whole event. “It was great. Thanks for getting me a spot with the Kyoshi Warriors.” Then I blurted out without thinking, “I was really impressed by your speeches.”

Zuko grinned, his charm still the same despite his impressive Fire Lord regalia. “Oh, thanks. They were, uh, just pretty generic things. I say something similar at pretty much every event, so I have a lot of practice.”

I felt silly. I hadn’t really meant to compliment his speech, more the way he delivered them. The way he looked so in his element, so natural, commanding the attention of the room. But how did I say that?

“I guess I was more impressed by how natural you made them sound,” I ventured shyly. “You make a great Fire Lord. I mean, you were just really inspiring! I, uh—I’m really glad you invited me to the banquet.”

Gosh, I was so stupid. _You make a great Fire Lord?_ Of course he did! What was I doing, saying stuff like that to the Fire Lord? So what if he had personally invited me to the banquet. I barely knew him!

But Zuko was still smiling at me. “Thanks. I don’t think anyone’s ever called me inspiring before.” He paused for a moment. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

I hadn’t even noticed the stout, elderly man next to him until Zuko turned to him. The man’s gaze was soft as he looked at Zuko.

“Mina, I want you to meet my Uncle Iroh. Uncle, this is Mina Zhang, a close friend of the Kyoshi Warriors.”

Oh my gosh, this kindly-looking old man was the legendary General Iroh! I quickly brought my hands together and bowed deeply to him.

“It’s an honor to meet you.”

“It is lovely to meet you as well!” General Iroh said, his voice alive with warmth and genuine enthusiasm. I think I saw where Zuko got some of his charm and charisma from. “I hope my nephew has been a great host to you.”

I glanced at Zuko. He and his friends had all been so incredibly welcoming. I still couldn’t believe how lucky I was, becoming fast friends with some of the most important people in the world and maybe even something more with Zuko. “He has been the best host I could ask for,” I replied. 

General Iroh smiled at me, eyes twinkling. Then he turned to Zuko. “Delegate Kyouhei asked me to meet him after the banquet. I suppose I shall go entertain him now.” He quickly slipped off into the crowd.

Once he was gone, Zuko turned to me once again. “There’s one more thing I wanted to say actually. I’ll probably be busy until pretty late tomorrow, but if you would be willing to stay up, I’d like to take you somewhere tomorrow night.”

I felt my heart rate picking up. Was Zuko asking me on a date?? “I would love that,” I managed, hoping my voice came out calmer than I felt.

“Great,” Zuko said. “It’s a bit of a walk, just a warning. Can I meet you around ten?”

“Of course.” Oh my gosh, this was really happening.

Zuko grinned. “I’m looking forward to it.” Then his grin turned more sheepish. “I should probably go mingle with the Earth Kingdom delegates now, though.”

I understood. I was still a little giddy from him asking me on what essentially looked like a date. “See you tomorrow night?”

“See you tomorrow night.”

Fuck. My heart fluttered just thinking about spending tomorrow evening alone with Zuko. I wanted to spend so much more time with him. I wanted to know so much more about him. And what if the night turned into something more… I got lost in a daydream where tomorrow night was a continuation of our moment after the hot springs. I would catch Zuko staring at my lips again, the same hunger in his eyes. Zuko would lick his lips, anticipating but not moving. But this time I would make the first move, closing the distance between us, feeling Zuko’s soft, pouty lips against mine for the first time… Oh my gosh, Mina, _stop_. It was just a walk. It wasn’t even a date (although it sure felt like it).

But I couldn’t stop thinking about Zuko, even after I went back to my room and got in bed for the night. My thoughts kept me awake, swirling around in my head, refusing to be ignored. Even stronger than my desire to kiss him and hold him was my desire to just know him. I knew I could spend hours just listening to him talk. Hours just watching him in his element as Fire Lord. I wanted to keep seeing his soft smile when he was happy. I wanted to keep seeing his golden eyes light up when he got excited. I wanted to just keep spending time with Zuko, seeing every possible side of him and letting him see every side of me.

That’s when I knew I was in too far to just brush off my feelings.

I was falling for Zuko.


	4. Zuko Thirst Chapter #1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very impatient and really just want to write Zuko/Mina smut already. If you're not into that, sorry. It will happen.
> 
> Also the outfit Ty Lee gives to Mina at the beginning is the one Ty Lee wore to the party on Ember Island lmao

My fourth day at the Royal Palace began with me waking up early to run to Ty Lee’s room and beg her for another set of clothes to wear. Ty Lee proved once again to be the absolute sweetest friend in the world, only giggling at me for a few seconds before dashing off to her closet and offering me one of her pink two-piece sets.

“Oh my gosh, you’re a lifesaver. Thank you so much,” I gushed. I was just glad Ty Lee hadn’t left to start her day yet. I had done my best to get up early, but there’s only so much strength I can muster in the mornings. And glad that we were still about the same size as each other.

“No problem!” Ty Lee said, beaming brightly. Then she grimaced a bit. “Hopefully, it’s not too beachy. I just thought it’d be your style.”

I held out the pieces to look over them. It was a matched set of deep red—almost maroon—fabric with muted pink trim. The top was off-the-shoulder, just a bandeau top, tying in the middle with a pink ribbon. The darker fabric draped down on the sides, making it a bit more covering than most of my summer tops. The bottoms were a skirt made of the same draping, maroon fabric. Another pink tie cinched in them in at the hips.

“It’s perfect,” I assured Ty Lee.

“Oh, good. I don’t wear stuff like that too often anyway with my uniform. You should take your other clothes to the royal launders though!”

“Yeah, definitely,” I said sheepishly. “I might need to go shopping though. I’m completely out of clothes.” Ugh, why didn’t I think to bring more casual clothes? I had been so caught up in the idea of the Royal Palace when we were packing that all I had grabbed were fancy dresses and formal robes.

“Oh my gosh can I come!” Ty Lee squealed. It wasn’t a question, her words strung together in a single stream like one big word.

I laughed. I had come to the Royal Palace with Ty Lee to spend more time with her, but I still felt like I had barely seen her. “Of course!”

“Yes!” Ty Lee cheered, punching the air with her fist. “We’re going tomorrow.”

Since I had gotten up early for once without anything to do, I decided to go for a nice, relaxing morning walk. After changing into Ty Lee’s clothes, I grabbed my sketchbook and headed for the palace courtyard. That would be the perfect place for a relaxing stroll and some nature drawing.

The universe, however, seemed to have other ideas for me. When I reached the courtyard, I was not met with the calming sounds of birds chirping and turtleducks quacking but the sounds of grunts and clashing metal. Sokka and Zuko were sparring—shirtless.

I stopped, flushed. Should I turn around? I was already staring, mouth slightly open, at Zuko. Would it be disrespectful to stay and watch just so I could keep checking out shirtless, sweaty Zuko? Maybe. But I decided that was a risk I was willing to take.

I took a seat on one of the nearby park benches. Zuko and Sokka were clearly both master swordsmen, twirling around each other and clashing blades with a mix of grace and ferocity. It was a little terrifying. They were clearly fighting with real swords. But I couldn’t help finding it beautiful too. Zuko especially seemed completely engrossed in the fight, his dual swords almost like extensions of his own arms. His muscles rippled as he locked blades with Sokka, then danced back again.

It was a long match, giving me plenty of time to admire Zuko. Did I have a probably unhealthy obsession with his arms by this point? Yes. Was watching him fight shirtless in the courtyard helping that obsession? No. But I had never claimed to have much impulse control.

After what seemed like at least a solid ten minutes, Zuko gained the upper hand, finally catching Sokka off-balance and disarming him, a blade pointed at Sokka’s chest.

“Damn it!” Sokka said and flopped onto his back.

Zuko grinned and sheathed his blades in a leather scabbard strapped to his back. He grabbed a towel and made a quick swipe over his face before tossing the towel over his shoulder and strolling toward me.

“Hey,” I squeaked out. _Red alert. Shirtless, sweaty, grinning Zuko approaching._ My brain shut down.

“Hey.”

“Can I draw you?” I blurted out.

“What?” Zuko asked with a laugh. He was in a good mood—maybe adrenaline from the fight—and a little breathless. I was also a little breathless.

“Can I draw you,” I repeated.

Just then, Zuko noticed the sketchbook sitting in my lap. “Yeah, of course. But only if you show me afterward.”

“Deal.”

With that, Zuko strode back to where Sokka was laying in the grass. “Ready to lose again?”

“Fuck you,” Sokka said loosely. But he slowly got to his feet, taking his time to crack his shoulders and wrists, groaning like an old man.

Sokka and Zuko’s dance began again. I opened my sketchbook to a blank page and began drawing.

Zuko moved around too much to be a good reference. So instead of trying to capture him in motion, I went with his pose from just before they began fighting. Zuko standing ready. Arms at his sides, a curved sword in each hand. He was absolutely beautiful. I just needed to capture him on paper.

This fight was shorter, barely giving me time to finish a rough sketch. Zuko claimed a second victory over Sokka. I felt a little guilty for how satisfied Zuko’s victory made me feel.

“You just need to work on your stamina,” Zuko told Sokka.

Sokka scowled. “My _stamina_ is great, I’ll have you know.”

Zuko smirked, and the atmosphere suddenly changed. “You’ll have to show me again sometime, then.” His voice was low and dripping with innuendo. I got the feeling they weren’t talking about sparring anymore.

“Fuck you, Zuko,” Sokka replied lazily, but his eyes were playful.

“Just tell me when and where,” Zuko replied cockily. Fuck. That combination of his smirk and low voice needed to be banned on the spot. I couldn’t believe what I was watching.

And then, almost like I had imagined it, the moment was over. “I probably need to get back to work,” Zuko sighed. He walked over to me. “You gonna show me the drawing now?”

“Nope.”

“Hey, you promised!”

“I will show it to you.” I tapped a single index finger against his chest, a little giddy from being so close to shirtless Zuko. “Tonight.”

“Such a tease,” Zuko complained, shaking his head slowly. I blushed, suddenly imagining his words in another context. “Walk with me?”

I eagerly got up to walk with him. “Bye, Sokka!”

“See ya,” Sokka said lazily from the ground.

“Sorry I’m kind of sweaty and gross,” Zuko said as we headed toward the courtyard entrance. He grimaced as he slipped a light robe over his shoulders.

“You’re not gross,” I said quickly. In fact, it was taking most of my willpower to keep my eyes away from the sweat rolling down Zuko’s sculpted abs.

“Thanks.”

A beat of silence.

“When’d you starting drawing?” Zuko asked at the same time I asked, “Where’d you learn to fight like that?”

I giggled. “You first.”

“I taught myself,” Zuko said. “I wasn’t very good at fire bending when I was little, so I turned to knives instead.” His expression darkened.

“So now you’re good at both,” I jumped in quickly. I had yet to actually see Zuko fire bend (another thing I needed to add to my bucket list), but I’d heard stories.

“Something like that.”

The origin of Zuko’s sword-fighting skills clearly wasn’t something he wanted to talk about. “Well, I’m not a bender or a fighter, so I don’t know much, but I think it’s really cool that you’re a bender and a swordsman.”

Zuko shrugged. “It comes in handy.” He didn’t seem to have anything else to say on the matter, and I didn’t push it.

“So, when’d you start drawing?” Zuko asked, redirecting the conversation.

“I’m not really sure. It’s something I’ve been doing ever since I was really little.” To my relief, Zuko’s expression had relaxed. He seemed interested. I continued. “I have a stash of doodles from when I was like five to prove it. They’re… interesting. But I just kept doing it. And I’d like to think I got better.”

I laughed a little as I finished, but Zuko was just smiling softly. “I’m sure you did,” he said.

We came to a stop in front of a large door flanked by two guards.

“Well, this is my stop,” Zuko said slowly. He looked slightly disappointed.

I nodded. “I’ll see you, Fire Lord Zuko.”

“See you, Mina.”

  


* * *

  


Zuko knocked on my door promptly at 10:00 PM. I quickly let him in, hoping my giddy nervousness wasn’t showing through too much.

“Ready for our walk?” Zuko asked.

Instead of responding, I hesitantly held out my sketchbook. My voice came out too quiet. “Would you like to see my drawing?”

“Of course,” Zuko said. I handed him the sketchbook. He appraised the page I had it open to agonizingly slowly and silently.

“I touched it up a little after this morning,” I babbled nervously to fill the silence. “I didn’t have much time while you were fighting, and you were moving around a lot so I couldn’t really do an action pose…”

Zuko looked up at me, golden eyes wide. “That’s how you see me?”

“Ah… yeah.” Oh fuck, did he not like it? Was he trying to let me down gently?

“It’s beautiful,” Zuko whispered.

Oh.

“Th-thank you.”

“No, thank you,” Zuko said. He was still looking at my sketch. “Can I… No, sorry, I shouldn’t ask that.”

“You can ask me anything,” I said softly. I meant it.

“Can I have it?” Zuko asked. Then, as if he hadn’t meant to say that out loud, he backtracked quickly. “Fuck, sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that.”

I couldn’t help the smile that broke out on my face. Zuko wanted to keep the drawing I made of him. “It’s yours.”

“What?”

“I would love if you kept it,” I said. Zuko’s mouth dropped open. “But on one condition,” I continued mischievously.

“What’s that?” Zuko asked.

“You have to pose for me so I can sketch you properly.”

Zuko grinned. “It would be an honor.”

Emboldened by Zuko’s words, I plucked the sketchbook out of his hands and threw my arms around him in a hug. His body was warm and solid against mine. Even better, he immediately wrapped his arms around my shoulders, enveloping me in his warm, sturdy embrace.

“Shall we go for our walk, then?” I asked.

Zuko unwrapped his arms from me, instead gentlemanly offering me his arm next to him. I took it eagerly, wrapping my fingers loosely around his.

“Let’s do this.”

The night air was chillier than I expected stepping out of the palace, but Zuko was warm next to me. Seriously, the man was like a human furnace.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Somewhere I used to go when I was little,” Zuko replied, a bit cryptically.

I decided to let him have his mystery for now. I was just happy to be spending my evening with Zuko.

We walked through mostly empty streets lit by red lanterns and soft light radiating from houses. I had walked the streets of Capital City plenty during the last few days, but this was my first time doing it at night. After dark, the streets and buildings had a whole different charm.

“You seem really close to your uncle,” I said, breaking the quiet.

Zuko smiled softly, looking up at the sky. “Yeah. He’s like a dad to me.”

I squeezed his hand. “You definitely take after him a bit. I could tell in the way you guys talked yesterday.”

“Really?” Zuko asked, looking at me excitedly.

“Yeah,” I said with a giggle, a little surprised by his excitement.

Zuko explained, his excitement falling away. “I just... I’m always trying to be more like Uncle. My actual dad, in addition to being an awful person, was an awful parent. It took me a while to realize that—even after he burned half of my face to a crisp and banished me—but Uncle Iroh was there with me every step of the way.”

My jaw dropped in horror. “Your… father gave you that scar?”

“Yeah,” Zuko said darkly. “Challenged me to an Agni Kai when I was thirteen. Said he was teaching me a lesson about _respect_.” He spit out the last word.

“I’m so sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say.

Zuko sighed. “Yeah. And yet it took me three years after that to finally realize how cruel my dad was.”

“It’s not your fault,” I said softly.

“Yeah, that’s what Uncle always says. I know. Now, at least. That’s why it’s so important to me that I become like Uncle Iroh, not like my dad.”

I rubbed my fingers soothingly over his. “Trust me. You are _nothing_ like your dad.”

“Thanks.” He didn’t sound like he fully believed me, but I knew I was telling the truth.

There was a moment of silence.

“So, what about your parents?” Zuko asked, glancing at me.

I kept my voice light. I had no right to complain about my parents after hearing about what Zuko’s dad did to him. “Oh, they’re what you might expect. Wealthy nobles focused on my dad’s political career.”

Zuko laughed without humor. I looked at him in confusion.

“I think I know what that’s like.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Someone who was very close to me—my ex-girlfriend, actually—said almost the same thing about her parents. Said she couldn’t complain; she got everything she ever wanted. But she didn’t.”

I sighed. “Your ex was right. I don’t have any right to complain about them. Especially not to you, after what you went through. I got everything I should have wanted. As long as I was the child my parents wanted me to be.”

“But it wasn't everything you wanted,” Zuko said softly. “Trust me, my ex used to say exactly the same thing. It's not bad to admit you aren't satisfied. Acknowledging the problem helps. Talking about it helps."

I didn’t say anything for a moment. Zuko glanced at me.

“Yeah,” I said finally. When Zuko didn’t say anything, I continued. “As stupid as it sounds, I just want to live a happy life. Maybe I’m just lazy. But I don’t want to be the wealthy, political figure my parents are striving to make me. I don’t want wealth and power for the sake of wealth and power. I just want to be happy.”

“I don’t think you’re lazy,” Zuko said. “I think you’re just struggling to find your own destiny.”

I looked at him, confused.

Zuko grinned. “That’s something Uncle would always tell me. He made me realize I needed to find my own destiny, not just blindly follow what my father had made me believe was my destiny.”

I nodded. Zuko had a point. Even though his choice was a little more dramatic. His choice to follow his own destiny had brought us out of the hundred-year war. I wasn’t even sure if the word “destiny” applied to me. I was just trying to escape the control of my overbearing parents.

Zuko sighed, breaking my train of thought. “Sorry, I didn’t mean for this walk to be so serious.”

“I don’t mind,” I said. Honestly, I hadn’t expected it to be either. I hadn’t had even a single thirsty thought about Zuko yet, and we had been walking together, arm in arm, for over half an hour. But this is what I wanted. I wanted to get to know Zuko. And maybe he wanted to get to know me. “But if you want it to be less serious, I can make that happen.”

Zuko smiled at me. “Yeah, I might like that.”

I immediately pulled my arm away from Zuko’s. I held my hand up to my face dramatically, like I was holding a microphone. “Quick, would you rather fight 50 turkey duck-sized ostrich horses or one ostrich horse-sized turkey duck?” I thrust my hand microphone at Zuko’s face.

Zuko stopped walking. “W-what?” he asked with a confused laugh.

I repeated the question, this time without the flailing hand gestures. “Would you rather fight 50 turkey duck-sized ostrich horses or one ostrich horse-sized turkey duck?”

Zuko grinned, hand cupping his chin in a thinking posture. “Hmm, turkey ducks are vicious. They like to loiter around Uncle’s tea shop in Ba Sing Se. You don’t want to make them mad. So, I’m gonna go with 50 turkey duck-sized ostrich horses.”

“Same! Finally, someone else who recognizes the dangers of angering turkey ducks.”

Zuko’s golden eyes had their sparkle back. He looked genuinely relaxed. “You ask that to a lot of people?”

I grinned. “You know it.”

We continued on like that, the mood much lighter. I felt a little ridiculous asking the Fire Lord the same silly “would you rather…” questions I asked my friends at university. But Zuko was smiling and laughing with me, and I couldn’t be happier.

As we kept walking farther away from the palace, the streetlights grew fewer and far between, and the houses less ornamented. The craggy volcano rim surrounding the city jutted up higher and higher as we got closer. We were nearing the edge of town.

A chilly breeze blew past us, and I shivered, gripping Zuko’s arm again. He let me snuggle up close as I attempted to steal some of the warmth radiating from him.

“We’re almost there,” Zuko promised.

Zuko led me down a cobblestone alley. To my surprise, at the end was a small park. We continued down the cobblestone path between trees lit up by a string of tiny lanterns. We stopped in front of a pond. Turtle ducks quacked, somewhere off in the distance, and bugs droned in the trees.

“This is it,” Zuko said.

“It’s lovely,” I said. We stood side by side, looking over the streaks of light on the surface of the pond.

“I love this place. I used to walk out here all the time when I was younger.”

“I can see why. It’s beautiful. And calm.”

“Yeah.”

We were silent for a moment, and then Zuko spoke up. “There’s something I wanted to tell you.” Then he looked down, like he wasn’t sure how to continue.

“What is it?” I asked softly. Inside me, my heart thumped wildly in my chest. I knew I liked Zuko. I liked him so much. I wasn’t sure if he felt the same. But then he took me on a walk, alone, to one of his favorite spots in the city. And I let myself hope, just maybe, he felt the same way.

Finally, Zuko spoke. “Mina.” I held my breath. “I know you probably have other things to do this summer, so I understand if you say no. But I would really like it if you could stay. I… I really like you, Mina. I don’t want you to leave.”

I took a deep breath. This was not the time to squeal in excitement. “I really like you too.”

We met eyes again. It was like the rest of the world no longer existed. All I could see was Zuko.

I kept talking. “Right from the first time I saw you, I couldn’t keep my eyes off you. But it’s something more than that, too. It’s scary, almost. I’ve never fallen for someone so fast. But I want to spend all my time with you. I get giddy when I’m near you. I like you so much.”

It was like a repeat of our moment after the hot springs night. Except this time I wasn’t drunk. Just lost in the moment with Zuko. I watched as his eyes trailed down my face to rest on my lips. My tongue darted out to wet my lips in anticipation.

“Please, kiss me,” I whispered.

And this time, Zuko didn’t pull away. He tilted his head down and pressed his lips against mine in a sweet, chaste kiss. My eyes fluttered shut. The kiss didn’t last long, but I kept my eyes lightly shut even after he pulled away, committing the feeling of our first kiss to memory. Then his soft lips were back against mine. This time, he brought his hand up to loosely cup the base of my head. His tongue licked against the seal of my lips, and I eagerly let him in.

The kiss quickly heated up as we hungrily explored each other’s mouths. I wrapped my arms around Zuko’s neck, mewling softly into his mouth. But this time, I broke the kiss, biting Zuko’s lip and letting it graze lightly through my teeth as I pulled away just slightly.

Zuko groaned. His eyes were filled with the same hunger and intensity I had caught a glimpse of before. “You make it so hard to hold back,” he said, his voice low and husky. Heat pooled in my core at the sound of it.

I smiled up at him as innocently as I could. “Then don’t hold back.”

Zuko grinned, his golden eyes ablaze. “If this is how you are on just the first kiss, you’re gonna be the fucking death of me.”

He pulled me back into a passionate kiss, his hands now framing the sides of my head. It was even better than I could have imagined. Zuko knew exactly what he was doing. He kissed roughly, like he wanted to own me. I clung desperately to his strong frame, my legs threatening to give out. Zuko moved one arm to wrap around the small of my back and one arm to the back of my head again. He was practically holding me up now. I panted into his mouth. I was so fucking turned on.

When we pulled apart, Zuko was smirking, eyes dark. “Is that what you wanted, babe?”

“Oh, fuck yes,” I panted. “Fuck, you’re so hot.”

Zuko was breathing heavily too. “Fuck, babe, the things I wanna do to you…”

“Please,” I breathed.

Zuko smirked again. “Please what? You’ve gotta tell me what you want.”

My eyelids fluttered. I was embarrassed but beyond turned on. “Please… touch me. Put your hands on me.”

Zuko groaned, his hand on my back sliding down to the curve of my ass. He squeezed lightly. “Like this?”

“Yes, please,” I sighed in pleasure. Just Zuko’s hands on me were enough to drive me wild. They were big and strong and I couldn’t help the fantasies that flashed through my mind. The things I wanted his hands to do to me.

“Such a good girl, telling me what you want me to do to you,” Zuko whispered in my ear, low and dirty. The praise went right to my core, which was already tight with arousal. Zuko’s head dropped to my neck, sucking at the junction of my neck as he brought his other hand to my ass, squeezing and pulling me in to straddle his thigh.

I couldn’t help grinding against his muscular leg, an incoherent “unghh” spilling from my lips.

“So needy for me,” Zuko breathed, working the skin of my neck between his teeth as he sucked.

My brain was flooded by lust. I just needed him to keep going. I needed more. I wanted him to dominate me—have me at his mercy under his strong hands and talented mouth. I knew he was probably leaving hickies from how hard he was sucking, but in that moment, I couldn’t care less. I didn’t want him to ever stop.

Unfortunately, at that moment, Zuko did stop, quickly pulling his head up. He met my eyes with a mischievous grin. I was still panting, a little dazed. Why’d he stop? Then I heard it. The sound of laughter and leaves rustling under footsteps. It was getting louder.

Suddenly, the realization that we were in a public park—albeit a fairly secluded one—came crashing back. I flushed under Zuko’s intense gaze.

“Maybe we should get out of here,” Zuko whispered, still grinning. He seemed completely composed again, like I hadn’t just been grinding against his leg while he painted hickies all over my neck.

“Yeah,” I agreed. As disappointed as I was by the interruption, I wasn’t sure I’d survive the embarrassment of being caught making out with the Fire Lord in a public park.

The approaching people were almost in sight now. We didn’t wait around to see them. Zuko quickly and silently pulled me down a side path leading away from the pond. We didn’t speak until we were out of the park again.

“I’ve gotta say, that wasn’t how I was expecting this evening to go,” Zuko drawled.

I grinned sheepishly. “Hopefully it was good, though?”

Zuko wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me in to snuggle against his side. “It was fucking fantastic.”


	5. The Kidnapping Attempt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a short chapter. Honestly I didn't really want to write it so I just got it done quickly. I might come back and edit it later.
> 
> Also I had been using messenger falcons up until now but I realized the Fire Nation actually uses messengers hawks, so I'm gonna change that.
> 
> And finally, I realized after writing out the whole plot for this story that I'm a huge Maiko fan so if anyone has any good fic recs pls let me know

I woke up the next morning to Ty Lee pounding on my door. “Mina! We’re going shopping!”

I leaped out of bed, shocked into action, and opened the door for Ty Lee without a second thought. Ty Lee was smiling widely, cheery as ever even way too early in the morning. But then she froze, a hand coming up to cover her wide smile.

“Mina, oh my gosh!” Her voice got louder and higher pitched with every word.

“What?” I asked, still too sleepy to fully process what was going on.

“Oh my gosh, we need to do something about this before Suki sees you. And you need to tell me everything.”

I was still trying to figure out what was happening when Ty Lee stepped assertively into my room and dragged me to the bathroom. She pointed at my reflection in the mirror. “Look.”

I looked. My jaw dropped. I had completely forgotten about the hickies from last night. But there they were, in all their glory. The lower right section of my neck was mottled with red, bruise-like splotches.

“I think a choker will cover them,” Ty Lee mused. “But you still need to tell me what happened.” She put her hands on her hips, mocking a stern expression. “Was it Zuko?”

I flushed red. “Yeah.”

Ty Lee squealed, jumping around the bathroom in excitement. “I knew it was gonna happen soon! Oh my gosh, Suki is gonna be so upset.”

I looked at her, suddenly concerned. “Why is Suki gonna be upset?”

Ty Lee, noticing my expression, quickly reassured me. “It’s nothing bad.” Her expression turned sheepish. “I, uh, wasn’t supposed to tell you this, but Sokka and Suki kinda had this bet about when you guys would get together.”

I rubbed the spot where my hickies were absently. “Oh, uh, I don’t think we’re… _together_ , together.”

“Then what _happened_?”

I smiled, thinking back to last night. “Well, I went on a walk with Zuko. He took me to this park on the outskirts of the city. And he told me he liked me. And I said I liked him too. And then… we kissed a little.”

Ty Lee grinned at me. “You kissed a _little_?”

“It was just a little,” I defended myself. “Things just escalated quickly.” I left out the part about how it probably would have gone on for much longer if we hadn’t been interrupted. 

Ty Lee was grinning at me. “Alright, whatever you say!”

I bit my lip. “Are you gonna tell Suki?”

Ty Lee was serious again for a moment. “Not if you don’t want me to.”

“Thanks.”

Then Ty Lee was back to her cheery, peppy self. “But she is coming shopping with us. And we need to get your hickies covered up!”

Luckily, as Ty Lee had predicted, a thick red choker was enough to cover up the mess on my neck. We met up with Suki to go shopping, the topic of me and Zuko forgotten for now.

“I’m living vicariously through you,” Ty Lee admitted as I held up outfits to my body in an open-air market.

“What?” I giggled.

Ty Lee sighed wistfully. “I wear my Kyoshi Warrior uniform so often now that I rarely need to go shopping for other clothes.”

“But you’re wearing other clothes right now.” Ty Lee was wearing one of her classic pink crop top and capri combos. Suki was also in plain clothes—a red, sleeveless crop top and pants adorned with gold details.

I eventually convinced Ty Lee to at least buy a new necklace. (It wasn’t that hard. Ty Lee is a sucker for cute things and I’m a bad influence.) I bought two new tops and one skirt for myself. All were red, although one of the tops did have some lovely white accents.

We finished the trip off with some ice cream, then Ty Lee and Suki needed to head back to the palace. We walked along a river on the way back. I knew it was probably man-made, since we were inside a dormant volcano. But it was gorgeous nonetheless.

“You guys go ahead,” I told Suki and Ty Lee. “I’m gonna stay out a little longer and do some sketching.”

“Okay, see ya,” Suki said. Ty Lee just waved cheerfully. I suspected her mouth was full of ice cream.

The two Kyoshi Warriors headed off. I found a nice spot along the riverbank, using the bag containing my newly purchased skirt as a cushion to sit on. I sat there for a few minutes, just taking in the atmosphere. It was cooler today, the perfect temperature to sit in the shade and just enjoy life. I happily pulled out my sketchbook and began on a fresh page.

I had only just started my drawing when a rough arm wrapped around my neck, jerking me back. A large hand clapped over my mouth. I frantically pushed it away with all my strength, fear giving me just enough strength to keep the hand away from a few seconds.

“SUKI! HELP! TY—”

Then the hand was back over my mouth. Eyes wide, I clawed at the arm around my neck, but I was getting lightheaded fast. I was so weak... Why was I so weak…

The next thing I knew, I woke up in a field of grass with Ty Lee concernedly peering at my face.

“You’re awake!” Ty Lee cried, leaning down to envelope me in an enthusiastic hug.

“I’m okay,” I breathed, shocked. All of my limbs were moving, and Ty Lee was with me. I was in the same spot I had been before. “What happened?”

“I don’t really know yet,” Ty Lee admitted. “We heard you yelling and came back here. We found this guy standing over your unconscious body.” She looked over at someone in disgust.

That was when I noticed the large, bald man laying limp on the ground next to me. His hands were bound behind his back, but he didn’t look like he was in much a of a state to get up. That must be who attacked me.

Ty Lee continued. “I chi blocked him. Suki ran back to the palace for backup. We weren’t sure what had happened to you, and we weren’t sure how long you’d be out for.”

I groggily propped myself up on my elbows. “How long was I out for?”

“Only a few minutes.”

I flopped my head back. Ugh, I was so weak. I couldn’t be left alone for even a few minutes without an escort. “Good thing you guys were still nearby,” I said bitterly.

Suki and a team of palace guards arrived on the scene a few minutes later.

“You’re awake!” Suki cried, rushing to me.

“I’m awake,” I said tiredly.

“We’re gonna get you back to the palace.”

One of the guards unceremoniously slung my assailant over his shoulder. Ty Lee helped me get to my feet, and the second guard kindly picked up my bags of clothes. We made quick progress back to the palace.

Zuko and another team of guards were waiting at the palace gates. My assailant seemed to be regaining feeling after Ty Lee’s chi blocking, and two guards moved to restrain him while he stood. Zuko ran to me immediately. He was even paler than usual.

“Are you okay?” His voice was laced with worry.

“I’m okay. I’m just in a bit of shock, still.”

His gaze lingered on me, brows furrowed. Then he turned furiously on my assailant.

“Who sent you?” he yelled.

My attacker stayed silent, lowering his eyes.

Zuko’s clenched firsts burst into flames. Despite Zuko’s smaller stature, the assailant seemed to shrink in the face of the Fire Lord’s unbridled fury. “Who sent you?” Zuko roared.

The assailant broke. “Fine. Fuck, this isn’t what I signed up for. I was hired by her parents.”

My jaw dropped. “But I sent them a message,” I said quietly.

The man angrily turned his gaze to me. “I heard nothing about a message. I was just hired to bring a daughter back.”

“Don’t speak to her!” Zuko roared, holding a fiery fist up to the man’s chest. The man slumped back again.

“Why would they do that?” I mumbled to myself. Ty Lee silently rubbed my shoulders in sympathy.

The fire disappeared from Zuko’s fists, but he was still fuming. “Your parents are insane,” he growled. “I will be sending them a strongly worded message from the Fire Lord. Delivered by guards this time. If they ever try to do something like this to you again—"

“M-maybe they never got the hawk,” I offered meekly.

Zuko clenched his fists and exhaled roughly through his nose. Darts of flame shot out with his breath. He took another deep breath, calming himself down. “I will still be sending guards.”

“What about this man?” one of the guards asked hesitantly.

“Put him in jail. Don’t let me see him again.”

The guards nodded and dragged my assailant off.

Zuko turned to me. “I’m going to assign two personal guards to you. They’ll stand watch outside your room and go with you whenever you leave the palace.”

I nodded mutely. Zuko looked so stressed. I felt like such a burden.

Zuko was still talking to me. “I wish I could stay with you, but I really need to get some work done. Can I see you tonight, though?”

Suki gasped at the same time Ty Lee went, “Ooooh!” But Zuko didn’t even look at them.

“Yeah,” I said quietly.

Then Zuko glanced at Suki and Ty Lee. “Can you guys stay with Mina for the rest of the afternoon?”

“Of course!” Ty Lee said.

“We’ll take good care of her,” Suki added.

“Thanks.” Zuko sighed. He managed a small smile. “I’ll see you tonight Mina.”

“See you tonight,” I repeated.

Zuko turned to leave with a swish of his robes. The remaining guards followed.

“What do you want to do?” Ty Lee asked after Zuko and the guards left.

“I don’t know,” I mumbled.

Ty Lee’s round, brown eyes were clouded with worry. “What’s wrong?”

I was silent for a moment, willing the tears that were threatening to form away. “I’m so disappointed in myself. I fee like such a burden to everyone.”

“You’re not a burden,” Suki said softly.

I couldn’t look at either of them. “I wanted to spend more time with you guys. And now we have the whole afternoon together. And I want to have fun with you guys.” I sniffed, feeling the tears start to prick in my eyes. “I feel horrible. I know I should be happy to have a chance to spend time with you guys. But I just… you had to be assigned to protect me. I’m so weak.”

A sobbed ripped its way out of my throat.

Ty Lee silently pulled me into a hug. “It’s gonna be okay,” she whispered. “You’re not weak. Most people wouldn’t be able to defend themselves against that guy. No one’s disappointed in you.”

“But you guys would have been able to defend yourselves,” I protested weakly.

“Mina, we’re the Fire Lord’s personal guard,” Suki said sternly. “It’s our job. And Zuko is a fully capable warrior, yet he still has a whole personal guard to protect him. Having someone to protect you doesn’t make you weak. It doesn’t make you a burden.”

I pulled away from Ty Lee. Suki was right. They were the Kyoshi Warriors, so renowned for their fighting that they were tasked with protecting the Fire Lord. Comparing myself to them was ridiculous.

My eyes were still puffy and red, but I sighed, calming myself down. “You’re right.” I wasn’t a warrior. No one expected me to be.

Suki smiled. “And now you have to spend the whole afternoon hanging out with us.”

Ty Lee grabbed me and Suki’s hands eagerly. “Let’s go to the pool!”

  


* * *

  


Like yesterday, Zuko knocked on the door of my room around 10:00 PM. But it was so different from yesterday. Despite my fun afternoon with Ty Lee and Suki, I couldn’t shake the sinking feeling that I was a burden to him.

“Hey,” Zuko said softly.

“Hey.” I couldn’t meet his eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Can we sit on the bed?”

Zuko silently followed me to my bed, where he sat down carefully next to me.

I sighed. “I know I shouldn’t. But I just feel like such a burden. I’m so helpless.”

“You’re not a burden.”

It was just like earlier today. Zuko would get me to calm down again, and I would feel okay for a little while. But then the guilt would just come back. What was the point?

To my horror, my eyes started welling up with tears.

I kept talking, like it would somehow distract my mind. “You have so much to worry about already. I don’t want you to have to worry about me too.” Tears were starting to fall down my cheeks.

Zuko placed his hand gently over mine. “Mina,” he said softly.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, refusing to look at him. “I didn’t want to cry in front of you. I’m so sorry.” My mind was spiraling into a dark place. _You’re weak,_ my mind told me. _You’re just another thing for Zuko to worry about._

 _Not now_ , I thought weakly. _Not in front of Zuko._

But Zuko just wrapped his arms around me, letting me cry into his shoulder, just holding me. His embrace was warm and sturdy, just like it always was. It was grounding, slowly pulling me back out of my head and into the present.

“It’s okay to cry,” Zuko said softly. He placed a gentle hand under my chin, and I let him tilt my face up toward his. “You don’t need to be sorry for crying. Don’t ever be sorry for expressing your emotions.”

I sniffed, my sobs subsiding. I ducked my head again, throwing my arms around Zuko. “I’m the luckiest girl in the world,” I mumbled into his shoulder.

Zuko planted a soft kiss on the top of my head. “I like you so much, Mina.”

“I like you so much too,” I whispered. “But I’m scared. I’ve never fallen for someone so fast. And you’re so important. I just… I’m so scared of being a burden.”

“You’ll never be a burden to me.” He kissed the top of my head again. “We’ll work this out together.”

I let Zuko's words wash over me, reassuring me. We stayed like that for a while. Zuko’s arm around my shoulder and my arms around him. My head resting on his shoulder and his head resting on mine.

I leaned up to place a soft kiss on Zuko’s cheek. He tilted down to kiss my lips. It was so much softer than last night, the two of us just relaxing in each other’s arms, whispering sweet words and placing soft kisses. I started getting sleepy.

“It’s getting late,” Zuko said eventually. “I should probably head back to my room.”

My eyes went wide in the darkness. “Do you think you could stay?” I asked softly.

Zuko kissed my lips softly again. “Yeah.”

We got ready for bed separately. I went into the bathroom to change into a nightgown. When I reemerged, Zuko had stripped down to his undershirt and fitted boxers. On any other night, I probably would have stared. But tonight, I just smiled softly at him and crawled into bed.

Zuko crawled in after me. Despite the small size of the bed, he stayed strictly on the opposite side from me, facing away.

“Could you hold me?” I asked shyly.

Zuko didn't move for a moment, and I thought he was going to refuse. But then he slowly rolled over, pressing his chest against my back before wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “Like this?”

“Yeah.”

I sighed contentedly. The warmth of Zuko’s body enveloped me. I had a feeling I would wake up sweaty. But right now, I just felt safe.


	6. Making Things Official / Zuko Thirst Chapter #2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while since the last update. I finished rewatching ATLA and kinda lost motivation.
> 
> I'm trying out doing some things from Zuko's POV and idk? It might happen more. Also I had no idea how I wanted to start this chapter so if it seems like it starts in the middle of something it's because it does.
> 
> We're getting closer to smut happening so if you're not here for that and you didn't leave after the first thirst chapter uhh beware I guess.

_~ Zuko’s POV ~_

Iroh tilted his head to the side, thinking. “Hm. There isn’t much precedent for Fire Lords dating. At least since Sozin’s time, Fire Lords have simply gotten engaged. The wife was rarely consulted with in advance.”

“But that’s not what I want to do to Mina,” Zuko said hotly.

“I know, Zuko. But you are dating her, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“Officially?” Iroh asked critically.

Zuko sighed. His uncle knew him too well. “Well, I haven’t officially asked her.”

Iroh’s voice was still stern. “Do you want to make it official?”

“Yeah,” Zuko admitted.

Iroh’s stern expression relaxed into a smile. “Then tell her how you feel! She likes you too, you know. I could see it in the way she looked at you.”

Zuko was still worried. “I don’t want to pressure Mina into staying with me. If I make it official, what if she feels like she has to stay with me because I’m the Fire Lord?”

“Mina seems like a strong young woman. You need to trust in her too.”

Zuko knew his uncle was right. His uncle was always right, whether Zuko realized it at the time or not.

Iroh continued. “I think having a girlfriend again could be good for you. It will help you, having someone by your side.”

“But I do have someone by my side,” Zuko protested. “I have you.”

Iroh tilted his head in acknowledgement but didn’t speak. Zuko knew Iroh was probably right about that too. His last few days with Mina had been his happiest in a while. There was just something about getting to see Mina, hold her, and talk to her every night that brightened his days.

Iroh urged him again. “Just tell her how you feel. I believe in you. You’re a good man, Zuko. You deserve to be with someone who makes you happy.”

Zuko was silent for a moment. Then, “I’ll talk to her, Uncle. Thank you.”

“Good.” Then Iroh turned his attention back to the table between them. “But now, we have a game of pai sho to finish!”

  


* * *

  


_~ Mina's POV ~_

That night, when Zuko met me in my room, it was Zuko who looked stressed.

“What’s wrong?” I asked quickly, moving to get up from the bed.

But Zuko slumped down next me. “Some members of the Council heard word that we’re dating. They’re demanding answers. I brushed off their questions for now, but I don’t think I’ll be able to keep doing that for much longer.”

I looked down at my lap. Maybe Zuko didn’t want to date me. But I needed to try. “I’d… like if we dated,” I said hesitantly.

Zuko’s head shot up. “Really?”

“Yeah. I mean I understand if you don’t want to. I just really like you, and I’d like it a lot if I could date you.”

“I’d like to date you too,” Zuko said softly.

I beamed up at him. Zuko leaned down and planted a soft kiss on my lips.

Zuko continued. “It might not be easy, though. The Council is constantly pressuring me about getting engaged. I don’t want you to feel pressured by them.” He ran a hand through his long, shaggy bangs, pushing them away from his eyes. “I just don’t know if I’m ready to tell the Council. I don’t ever want anyone to try and bother you, but knowing the Council, they’ll try. I don’t want you to feel pressured.”

He seemed so focused on that one word. “Pressured to do what?”

Zuko didn’t say anything. I tilted my head up and planted a kiss on his cheek before repeating my question. “Pressured to do what, Zuko?”

Zuko looked down. “I don’t ever want you to feel pressured to stay with me because I’m the Fire Lord.”

“Zuko,” I said softly. “I want to date you because I like you so much.” I glanced up at his face. He didn’t meet my eyes. “Just being with you makes me so happy. I like you because you’re you, not because you’re the Fire Lord.”

Zuko was still quiet.

I reached for Zuko’s hands, where they were clasped in his lap. He let me gently pry one away. I clasped it with both my hands, rubbing soothing circles over his skin with my thumbs. I kept my voice soft. “Why are you so worried about this?”

Zuko sighed. “Fire Lords in the past haven’t exactly dated. My mom didn’t marry my dad because she liked him. She married him because he ripped her away from her husband and forced her to marry him. Because he was Fire Lord.” His voice was bitter.

“Fire Lords weren’t expected to date. They were expected to find a suitable wife, get engaged, and get married to continue the Royal Line. And from how the Council talks about me, that’s what they expect from me too. And I hate it.” He finally met my gaze, golden eyes flaming. “I never want that to happen to you,” he said fiercely. “I never want you to feel like you’re being forced into anything.”

I think I understood. Zuko was still afraid of being like his father. He was afraid of treating me like his dad treated his mother.

But then I remembered how he had brought up his ex when we were walking. He never mentioned them getting engaged. 

“You dated your ex, didn’t you?” I asked, hoping he would understand where I was going with it.

“That was different. We started dating when I was still a prince. Before I thought I had much of a claim to the throne. And I was younger, not really of marrying age yet.” He sighed. “But still, my advisors always expected me to marry her someday.”

“But you still broke up.”

“Yeah. Mai had no patience for politics. She broke up with me.”

Mai. Wait, I knew Mai. Not well. But she was one of Ty Lee’s closest friends besides me. I can’t believe I had forgotten that she dated Zuko. She had always been dry-witted and brutally honest. She wasn’t afraid of anyone. I couldn’t imagine her hesitating to break up with anyone, even the Fire Lord.

“But you’re afraid I might not be able to do the same.”

Zuko’s eyes widened. “That’s not what I meant!”

I cut him off. “Zuko.” He met my eyes, and I held them sternly. Maybe he needed a bit of brutal honesty right now. I could deliver that too. “Right now, I don’t see any way I would stop liking you. I’m not going anywhere any time soon. But I promise you, I will never force myself to stay with you. If I want to end this, I will end it. And if you want to end this, I expect you to end it too.”

Zuko nodded slowly, seemingly processing my words. “Okay. Thank you.”

“Are you going to tell the Council, then?”

Zuko grimaced. “As much as I hate to say this, I think there are a few more people I need to ask.”

“Who?”

“Your parents.”

I sighed. “I guess that’s for the best.”

“I know. I don’t like it either. But I don’t want there to be any more confusion between us and them. And—I might regret this—but I want to meet them.”

I stiffened. “Like, invite them to the palace?” I couldn’t imagine Zuko, the Fire Lord, paying a visit to my home.

“Yeah.”

“Why?” I asked, the word coming out harsher than I meant.

Zuko sighed. “I want to do things right this time. I want to sort out whatever happened before.”

I slumped into Zuko’s side. It was probably for the best. “I guess you’re right. My parents are just, well, they’re difficult.”

Zuko grinned wryly. “I know what it’s like to have a difficult relationship with parents.”

My eyes widened, remembering our conversation from two days ago. How Zuko’s father had given him his scar. How Zuko still seemed terrified of turning out like his dad. “I’m sorry. I—I shouldn’t complain so much. I know I didn’t have it nearly as bad as you. I’m just acting spoiled.”

My parents weren’t evil or abusive people. (Or at least, I didn’t think they were. I _was_ starting to question their motives after the kidnapping incident.) They were just slimy.

“Don’t be sorry,” Zuko insisted again. “I’m lucky—my Uncle Iroh has always been there for me when my dad wasn’t. And I couldn’t have asked for a better mom and little sister.”

I hesitated. I had met Zuko’s little sister, the former princess of the Fire Nation. We went to school together when we were little. She had been close with Ty Lee. I was terrified of her. But I hadn’t heard much about her since the end of the war. “By little sister, do you mean Azula?” I asked carefully.

Zuko’s expression turned dark. “No. I haven’t seen Azula in over a year. She wasn’t so lucky. She only ever had my dad.”

“Oh.”

I didn’t know what to say. I had never thought of Azula as unlucky. In fact, when I knew her, everything always seemed to work out for her.

“My half-sister, Kiyi,” Zuko said.

“What?”

“That’s the sister I was talking about. My mom exiled herself when I was eleven to save my life. After she left, she got back together with her previous husband. The man she was going to marry before Ozai took her away. They had my half-sister, Kiyi.” Zuko’s expression softened as he talked about his mom and half-sister.

I didn’t ask about what happened for Zuko’s mom to exile herself. If there was one thing I was coming to understand, it was that the former Fire Lord had a thing for banishing and exiling his family members.

“I’d love to meet them sometime,” I said instead.

Zuko’s eyes lit up. He looked at me with the softest expression. “And they would love to meet you.”

I smiled. “Well, if you’re going to meet my parents, it does seem only fair…”

Zuko chuckled. “We’ll have lunch with them,” he decided.

My eyes widened in excitement. “Really?”

“Yeah. On Friday.”

That was two days away. I couldn’t wait.

“I don’t have to invite your parents to the palace if you don’t want me to,” Zuko said, his voice soft.

“No, I think you should.” I wasn’t looking forward to my parents meeting Zuko. But I knew he would have to meet them eventually. “My parents are just… slimy. Opportunistic. Once they find out I’m dating the Fire Lord they’ll see that as a chance for them to latch on and drag themselves up. I don’t want them trying to take advantage of you.”

Zuko was silent for a moment, pondering it over. A dry grin crossed his face. “I’ve dealt with worse. I think I can handle them.”

“I trust you.”

“Then I’ll send them a hawk tomorrow.” He added under breath, “Hopefully this one doesn’t get lost.” I giggled.

He continued. “I don’t want anything to get out to the public before I meet your parents. But apparently rumors fly around here, and I doubt the Council will be very good at keeping their mouths shut. So I want to bring your parents here as soon as possible.”

“Okay.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Then hopefully your parents will be able to visit this weekend.”

I smirked. “Oh, trust me, I’m sure my parents will drop whatever they’re going immediately for a summons to the Royal Palace.”

“Good.”

“So, what are you going to tell the Council in the meantime?”

Zuko grinned and wrapped his arms around me. “That I’ve found myself a girlfriend.”

  


* * *

  


That was the second day in a row I woke up wrapped in Zuko’s arms. Today, I was the first one to wake up. Zuko was still flopped on his back, seemingly sound asleep. I was half on top of him, my head on his shoulder and one of my legs strewn over his thighs. My right hand was curled up on Zuko’s chest—his _bare chest_. Zuko had shed his shirt at some point during the night, and now I was drinking in all the exposed skin. I ran my hand lightly over his chest, glancing up at his face again to make sure I didn’t wake him. His face was still soft and serene, asleep.

Still laying with my head on Zuko’s shoulder, I continued exploring his body with my free hand. I moved on to his left arm (his right arm currently being pinned under my body), stroking my thumb softly over the curve of his bicep.

Zuko was always beautiful. But shirtless Zuko was a whole other world to explore.

I moved my hand lower, tracing reverently over the slight ridges of Zuko’s abs. They weren’t as pronounced now as they had been when I had seen him fighting with Sokka. Laying down and relaxed, his stomach was almost soft. I grazed over his hipbones, getting lost for a moment in the v-lines dipping down into his pants and the blanket strewn over part of his hips. Wanting a full view, I carefully pushed aside the blanket.

That was when I realized. Zuko was hard.

My eyes widened as I felt my cheeks flushing. My hand was still rubbing idly over Zuko’s lower stomach, my eyes fixed on the hard line in Zuko’s boxers.

“Enjoying yourself, babe?” a rough voice asks from above me.

My eyes snap up to Zuko’s face. When had he woken up? I stared at him with wide eyes, feeling a mix of guilty and turned on. Guilty for shamelessly admiring him while he was asleep. But at the same time, his morning voice was fucking hot. Deep and even rougher than usual. And the image of the outline of Zuko’s hard dick was burned in my mind.

Unlike me, Zuko was not at all phased. He was lying still, eyes heavy-lidded like he wasn’t fully awake yet.

“C’mere,” he mumbled, tugging me up toward his face.

At the insistence of Zuko’s sleepy grabbing, I leaned down to kiss him softly, making sure to avoid laying over his crotch.

But Zuko placed a firm hand on the back of my head, pulling me down harder, deepening the kiss and slipping his tongue into my mouth. Soon, I was panting into his mouth. I was so weak for him.

Too soon, Zuko gently pushed me away. He was fully awake now, smirking lazily at me. I stared down at him, now fully turned on. A devilish voice in my head told me to lower my hips onto Zuko’s and grind down.

Zuko sighed, the smirk disappearing from his face. “I should get ready for the day. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

I pouted. I wasn’t ready to let go of him yet.

“Can’t you stay for a few more minutes?” I pleaded.

Zuko frowned, and the devilish voice in my head only got louder. Maybe I could get him to stay.

I pressed my body down, flush against Zuko’s, letting out a sigh at the feeling of Zuko’s dick against my core. I rotated my hips against his, grinding against him.

“Please?” I breathed into his ear, as sultry as I could manage.

Zuko’s hands were immediately on my hips, holding me still with an iron grip.

“Well that’s not quite fair, is it?” Zuko growled, his voice low, rough, and dangerous.

I fucking whimpered. I just needed to move my hips again. Zuko’s unrelenting grip held me down solidly right over his hard-on. The sensation was unlike anything I had ever felt before, and it was stripping me of all coherent thought.

“Such a naughty girl,” Zuko continued, and I moaned at the sound of his voice.

Fuck, I didn’t know I was into being talked to like that.

Not giving me any time to recover, Zuko sat up, then flipped me over so I was the one on my back. Now straddling me, he leaned down for a rough kiss. I moaned and gasped into his mouth, completely powerless in the face of dominant Zuko.

Zuko pulled away only to move down to my neck, sucking hard over a sore spot. I gasped.

“So pretty, covered in my marks,” Zuko mused. I vaguely realized that I must have hickies, before Zuko moved down even further.

When Zuko dragged his teeth over a lightly clothed nipple, my back arched off the bed. I couldn’t help the moan that spilled from my lips. I knew I was being loud, but I couldn’t help it, especially when Zuko brought his hand down to play with my other nipple. His touches were light, teasing, mostly teeth with and the occasional suck. I would have been embarrassed by how loud I was moaning for him if I had any coherent thought left. Instead, I just moaned and begged for more.

Suddenly, I heard a knock at Zuko’s door. I froze, frantically bringing my hands to Zuko’s hair to get him to stop.

“Fire Lord Zuko?” a voice called.

Zuko leisurely pulled away from my breast with a pop.

“Yes?” he called.

“There is urgent business with the Earth King. Your advisors have asked for your presence.”

Just as the guard outside finished speaking, Zuko ducked down and sucked my nipple again, pulling a loud, surprised moan from my mouth. I was absolutely mortified.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Zuko calls to the guard, like nothing happened.

When the guard didn’t respond, Zuko smirked down at me. I was still in shock. There was no way the guard hadn’t heard me.

“I guess we’ll have to continue this later, babe.” Zuko said, moving to get up.

I covered my face with my hands as Zuko rose from the bed.

“That was so embarrassing,” I groaned.

When Zuko was silent for a moment, I peeked through my fingers at him. The look Zuko gave me in return was absolutely dangerous.

“I said you were being naughty. There are consequences.”

I choked on air. I had _no idea_ I was into that kind of stuff, but here Zuko was getting me hot and bothered with just his words. I wanted to see what else he would do if he deemed me naughty. Would he punish me? And I wanted to be good for him to hear his praise.

“I think I found a new kink,” I mumbled, more to myself than to Zuko, but of course he heard it.

His look softened marginally, but he was still smirking. “Perfect.”

With that, Zuko turned his back and walked to the bathroom. He closed the door behind him, and then I was alone in the room. Thoughts raced through my head, one louder than the rest.

I was fucked.


End file.
